California’s community colleges are currently trialing an innovative approach to education, yet significant resistance is emerging from faculty members. Madera Community College has become a focal point of dissent, although concerns regarding this new educational strategy have been noted throughout the state.

In the proposed competency-based education model, traditional grading systems are replaced, and students are not required to attend classes. Instead, learners progress at their own pace and complete courses once they can demonstrate mastery of the necessary skills or competencies. Proponents, including Governor Gavin Newsom, advocate for this method as a means to support workforce needs and encourage adult learners who have not completed higher education to return to school. Variations of this model are already in use in other states, particularly at Calbright College, California’s fully online community college, as well as at various private and for-profit institutions.

Implementing these programs presents significant hurdles, as changes often involve adjusting a college’s accreditation status, employee contracts, and financial aid frameworks. To manage these adjustments, input from faculty is crucial, but many instructors express concerns over the rapid pace of these changes. In 2021, California lawmakers allocated upwards of $4 million to facilitate the expansion of the competency-based education model across eight community colleges, including Madera, targeting implementation by the 2024-25 academic year.

The Academic Senate of Madera Community College expressed serious concerns in a resolution last year, citing the extensive workload involved and claiming that faculty had not been sufficiently consulted in the decision-making process. Consequently, the initiative has been put on hold, as Madera Community College President Angel Reyna noted. In the spring, academic leaders at the college expressed their desire to completely withdraw from this experimental approach.

This pushback has drawn the ire of college leadership, business community members in Madera, and local officials such as former Mayor Santos Garcia and Madera County Supervisor Leticia Gonzalez, who have all publicly defended the program.

Recently, the state allocated additional funds to the participating colleges in the competency-based initiative, raising the total budget to nearly $9 million. While all eight colleges initially aimed to start implementing new courses by the 2024-25 academic year, this deadline has been extended to the end of 2027, as only Coastline College in Orange County appears ready to meet the original timeline.

Melissa Villarin, a representative from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, acknowledged some delays in achieving self-imposed deadlines, citing challenges related to accreditation and financial aid. Although Madera Community College did not receive further funding last month, Villarin confirmed that it remains eligible for future grants.

The competency-based initiative at Madera will concentrate on the business administration major and is expected to enroll only a handful of students. With total enrollment at over 10,000 for the academic year, this represents a small fraction of the student population. However, for faculty members, this approach represents a critical threat. They argue that competency-based education places an overwhelming burden on course designers and worry that the significant differences in this model could create confusion for potential employers and four-year college transfer institutions, as expressed by members of the Academic Senate.

Recently, this faculty body issued a vote of “no confidence” in the college president, largely attributing their decision to the challenges posed by the competency-based education program.

The other participating colleges in the initiative have also encountered their own respective challenges. Leticia Barajas, president of the academic senate at East Los Angeles College, emphasized the difficulties in implementing systemic change in such a short timeframe. She noted that her faculty senate has shifted the focus of their program from technology and logistics to biotechnology, where they found more available staff to assist.

Barajas described the initiation of a competency-based program as more daunting than initially anticipated but expressed her determination for the program to persist despite setbacks. “We are committed to it; it will take time, but we will succeed,” she stated.

President Reyna has called for a similar commitment from the faculty at Madera, pointing out that the other colleges are advancing despite encountering obstacles. “They’ve navigated challenges successfully, but our faculty seem resistant,” he remarked.

Leaders within Madera express that the concerns stretch beyond the competency-based education model, framing it as a larger issue of governance and leadership. Lynette Cortes Howden, the academic senate president, indicated that past college leadership failed to involve faculty in crucial decision-making processes regarding the new programs. While references are made to other instances, competency-based education tends to dominate the points of conflict.

Before Cortes Howden took office, her predecessor, Brad Millar, consented to a proposal to launch the competency-based program. However, she highlighted that this proposal should have included a formal resolution and details about the individuals involved, declaring it invalid due to its incomplete nature.

As Merced College advances with its program, Madera finds itself stagnating. In a series of challenging meetings this fall, President Reyna warned that faculty actions could harm the college’s reputation and undermine its objectives. He underscored a significant statistic indicating the 6.8 million adults in California who graduated high school yet do not hold a college degree, asserting that this initiative aligns with the governor’s vision of increasing college-educated adults within the community.

Alongside the eight-college pilot, Madera participates in a federal grant aimed at expanding competency-based education in agriculture. Meanwhile, Merced College has already launched its agricultural curriculum with 25 enrolled students who must prove proficiency in 14 specific skills to earn an “Ag Systems” certificate.

This achievement has been touted by Merced College as beneficial for both students and the agricultural sector.

However, at Madera Community College, the agriculture program’s curriculum committee within the academic senate has yet to deliver its approval. During a recent meeting, Reyna reiterated that these competency-based projects serve to educate often marginalized groups, such as farmworkers. He expressed dismay that this demographic’s education needs could be overlooked.

College administrators subsequently accused the academic senate of violating state laws regarding public meeting access and suggested political motivations behind their votes of no confidence against Latino leaders.

The concluding remarks of that meeting came from faculty member William Mask II, who voiced his support for competency-based education in contrast to the senate’s stance. “You brought shame upon this institution,” he declared before leaving the room, soon followed by Reyna and other officials.