To provide structured, positive support in the pursuit of higher education for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated population (Rising Scholars).
The Rising Scholars program offers classes in collaboration with the Butte County Sheriff's Office Alternative Custody Supervision (ACS) unit at the Day Reporting Center (DRC) in Oroville, as well as in collaboration with Butte County Probation and the Alliance for Workforce Development in Chico. Students on the ACS program meet with Correctional Deputies and programming staff to participate in classes designed to address their individual needs and reduce recidivism. These students have access to a variety of services and programs at the DRC in addition to Butte College classes. Students on probation and/or participating in AFWD programming enroll in an ITEC-55 class offered on the main campus. The focus of the Rising Scholars program at the DRC is on courses that lead toward degrees or certificates that result in enhanced workforce skills. Butte College classes offered at the DRC have included Workforce Readiness (CLP 334, OLS 340 & 341), Basic Wildland Firefighting (FSC 18), Basic Surveying (AET 26), and Irrigation Practices and Materials (EH 30, 130, 131, and 132). Classes have been offered at the DRC in fall and spring terms. The noncredit program at the DRC has been identified by WestEd as being very strong and having a high rate for transition. The program also provides orientation, counseling, and referrals to campus and community services. The program offers students the opportunity to participate in an official student club through the Office of Student Life. In Spring and Summer 2021, the program collaborated with Butte County Probation and the Alliance for Workforce Development to offer class sections on the main campus specifically for students enrolled in those programs. The course was ITEC-55, Introduction to Industrial Trades. Participating in the class provided a foundational opportunity for students hoping to make positive changes in their lives. A second, class, AB-20, would also be appropriate for this student group, and it is hoped that the class will be offered in coming semesters.
Strategy 1 - Continue and Expand On-campus Orientation for Rising Scholars
In collaboration with the Welcome Center and Student Services, the program will facilitate an on-campus application/orientation experience for students enrolled at the Day Reporting Center, Butte County Probation, and the AFWD. The Sheriff's Office will transport students to the main campus, and other agencies will also ensure that students are present and supervised.
Students enrolled at classes at the Day Reporting Center will have an on-campus cohort experience similar to that offered to all new Butte College students. Day Reporting Center students, as well as students on probation or participating in AFWD programming, will feel welcome at Butte College.
Strategy 2 - Continue Tours of the Day Reporting Center and Butte County Jail
In collaboration with the BCSO Day Reporting Center staff, the program will coordinate tours of the Day Reporting Center and the jail for faculty who express interest in teaching incarcerated students.
Students enrolled in classes at the Day Reporting Center represent a special population that has faced numerous challenges, including recent incarceration. It is important that faculty understand the ACS program and the experience students have recently had as inmates.
Strategy 3 - Increase Available Hours for Students to Meet with Counselor
Through a Chancellor's Office grant, the program currently compensates a full-time counselor five hours per week to work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. The grant expired on December 31, 2021, and counselor hours are being funded in SP 2022 through funds received through a small NFN Restorative Justice grant provided by Shasta College.
The counselor has reported that she would be able to serve more students more effectively if she were able to devote one full day per week to serving them.
The program requests increasing full-time counselor availabilty to one full day per week in AY 2022-23.
A full-time counselor is currently dedicated to working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students five hours per week. These hours were paid through a Chancellor's Office grant that expired on December 31, 2021, and counselor hours are being funded in SP 2022 through funds received through a small NFN Restorative Justice grant provided by Shasta College.
Students who participate in the Rising Scholars program are working hard to change the direction of their lives, and many of them have not historically experienced a great deal of educational success. The dedicated counselor works diligently to help students complete applications, choose majors, enroll in classes, drop classes, apply for transfer and graduation, etc. The counselor also refers students to other departments on campus, and has assisted students obtain housing, food, and necessary technology. The counselor has reported that she would be able to better serve this student population if she had more time dedicated to doing so. In order to serve an increasing number of formerly incarcerated students taking classes at the college, the program would like to increase the time the dedicated counselor spends with these students to eight hours per week in AY 2022-23.
The program requests increasing full-time counselor availability to one full day per week in AY 2022-23.
Strategy 4 - Create and Implement Confidential Case Management System
In order to serve students most effectively, it is necessary for the program coordinator and dedicated counselor to have a well-organized, confidential case management system in which each student would be assigned a folder that would contain their confidential club application and other relevant materials.
As the program for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students continues to grow, and especially in the remote working environment, it is critical that program leaders be able to access pertinent information that will assist them in assisting, advising, and referring students most effectively.
In order to track students' progress and assist them in attaining academic, career, transfer, and life goals it is imperative that program leaders have access to well-organized, up-to-date information about each student participating in the program. Administrative duties for the program have increased as we have begun to collaborate with new community partners, and welcoming formerly and currently incarcerated students to the college and supporting students as they work to achieve academic and career goals requires that easily accessible, accurate, up-to-date records be maintained.
Strategy 5 - Collaborate with Juvenile Hall and Butte County Probation
The program coordinator and other program leaders will collaborate with Butte County partners at Juvenile Hall and Probation to effectively serve students enrolled in those programs.
Butte County Probation serves individuals who want to change their lives and prepare themselves to enter the workforce. These students are interested in taking CTE classes, such as ITEC-55, that will prepare them to pursue certificates and/or degrees or provide them critical preparation for immediate employment. The Rising Scholars program has collaborated with Probation, the Alliance for Workforce Development, and Butte College Student Services to offer three sections of ITEC-55 in SP and SU 2021.
The California Department of Juvenile Justice is not accepting new clients as of July 1, 2021. SB 823 calls for realignment of the state's juvenile justice system, and each county is required to create a plan for serving youth who will no longer be sent to state facilities. Butte County has established a Department of Juvenile Justice Realignment Subcommittee, and the program coordinator is representing Butte College on this committee. It is hoped that Butte College will be able to serve not only the students who come home from DJJ facilities, but also those currently housed at Juvenile Hall.
Strategy 6 - Create Dedicated and Defined Space for Rising Scholars
The Rising Scholars program has applied for CCCCO grant funding ($190,000 per year for three years) to maintain and expand the program at Butte College. The CCCCO Rising Scholars Network has defined a "dedicated and defined space solely for Rising Scholars large enough for students to meet and congregate" as a desirable feature of a successful program.
Butte College currently provides dedicated space on the main campus for multiple student programs. The Rising Scholars program would like to establish a dedicated space on campus for students to meet with the program coordinator, club advisor, and counselor; to study; and to connect with other program participants.
Strategy 7 - Establish Rising Scholars Advisory Committee
The Rising Scholars program has applied for CCCCO grant funding ($190,000 per year for three years) to maintain and expand the program at Butte College. The CCCCO Rising Scholars Network has defined a "campus advisory committee or equivalent, with regularly scheduled meetings attended by designated representatives from faculty, admissions, financial aid, counseling, student services, and other departments" as a desirable feature of a successful program.
The Rising Scholars program currently enjoys a solid and productive collaboration with individuals and departments across the college, including but not limited to, Instruction, Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, Counseling, Student Support Services, Student Health Clinic, and the Academic Senate. Establishing a formal campus advisory group consisting of members from these departments/areas would serve to strengthen the Rising Scholars program and enhance the college experience of students connected with the program.
Strategy 8 - Create Rising Scholars Web Page
The Rising Scholars program has applied for CCCCO grant funding ($190,000 per year for three years) to maintain and expand the program at Butte College. The CCCCO Rising Scholars Network has defined having "its own page on the college website" as a desirable feature of a successful program.
Because students and community members would benefit from an outward-facing web presence for the Rising Scholars program, program leaders submitted all information required for the creation of a program website to the Butte College webmaster in Spring 2021. This information was forwarded to the interim webmaster in January 2022. While the Rising Scholars student club has a presence on BC Connect, the program would be strengthened by having a webpage on the college website.
The Rising Scholars program would like to establish a dedicated space on campus for students to meet with the program coordinator, club advisor, and counselor; to study; and to connect with other program participants. The program would be happy to utilize surplus furniture, and possibly computers, in this space.
The CCCCO Reetry Grant for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Students ($113,000 over 2.5 years) expired on December 31, 2021. Rising Scholars plans to apply for CCCCO funding ($190,000 per year for three years beginning in FA 2022) to maintain and enhance the program.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Students | Personnel | $20,400.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Increase FT counselor hours to one day per week in AY 2022-23 | A full-time counselor is currently dedicated to working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students five hours per week. These hours were paid through a Chancellor's Office grant that expired on December 31, 2021, and are currently being paid through a small grant from the NFN Restorative Justice Group coordinated by Shasta College. Students who participate in this program are working hard to change the direction of their lives, and many of them have not experienced prior educational success. The dedicated counselor works diligently to help students complete applications, choose majors, enroll in classes, drop classes, apply for transfer and graduation, etc. She also refers students to other departments on campus, and has assisted students obtain housing, food, and necessary technology. She has reported that he would be able to better serve this student population if she had more time dedicated to doing so. In order to serve an increasing number of formerly incarcerated students taking classes at the college, the program would like to increase the time the dedicated counselor spends with these students to eight hours per week in AY 2022-23. The program requests increasing full-time counselor availability to one full day per week in AY 2022-23. The cost of a part-time counselor to backfill the hours of the program's full-time counselor would be approximately $75 per hour (salary + benefits). The Rising Scholars program has applied for grant funding to cover these costs; however, it is not known whether the funds will be awarded. |
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| 2 | Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Students | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | |||
| Collaboration with Juvenile Hall and Butte County Probation | Butte County Probation serves individuals who want to change their lives and prepare themselves to enter the workforce. These students are interested in taking CTE classes, such as ITEC-55 and AB-20, that will prepare them to pursue certificates and/or degrees or provide them critical preparation for immediate employment. The Rising Scholars program has collaborated with Probation, the Alliance for Workforce Development, and Butte College Student Services to offer two classes in SP 2021: 1) ITEC-55, Introduction to Industrial Trades and 2) AB-20, Careers in Agriculture, Environmental Science and Natural Resources. The California Department of Juvenile Justice will no longer be accepting new clients as of July 1, 2021. SB 823 calls for realignment of the state's juvenile justice system, and each county is required to create a plan for serving youth who will no longer be sent to state facilities. Butte County has established a Department of Juvenile Justice Realignment Subcommittee, and the program coordinator is representing Butte College on this committee. It is hoped that Butte College will be able to serve not only the students who come home from DJJ facilities, but also those currently housed at Juvenile Hall. The cost of 5% reassign time for the program coordinator would be approximately $9000 (salary and benefits) for the academic year. |
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| 3 | Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Students | Personnel | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Student Case Management System | As the program for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students continues to grow, especially in a changing and flexible working environment, it is critical that program leaders be able to access pertinent information that will assist them in assisting, advising, and referring students most effectively. In order to track students' progress and assist them in attaining academic, career, transfer, and life goals it is imperative that program leaders have access to well-organized, up-to-date information about each student participating in the program. Administrative duties for the program have increased as we have begun to collaborate with new community partners, and welcoming formerly and currently incarcerated students to the college and supporting students as they work to achieve academic and career goals requires that easily accessible, accurate, up-to-date records be maintained. The cost of 5% reassign time for the program coordinator would be $9000 (salary and benefits) for the academic year. |
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| 4 | Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Students | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | ||
| Mileage for travel to Butte County DRC | The current faculty coordinator for the IFIS program uses her own personal transportation and fuel to meet with Butte County Sheriff Deputies, faculty, and IFIS students. These travel costs would be appropriately paid by the college's Rising Scholars program. |
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