The Fifty Percent Law, enacted more than 50 years ago, requires community colleges in the state to spend at least half their budget on instruction. Unique to California, the law is beloved by faculty members—who say it prioritizes smaller classes and full-time instructors—and disdained by many administrators, who argue that it prevents them from funding other vital programs, including food and housing supports to meet students’ basic needs, new technology, and student advising.
