PD Editorial: Give Calbright College one last chance to succeed

Most startups fail, and sometimes good ideas don’t pan out. California’s higher education startup, Calbright College, is on the precipice of failure. The state should give it one last chance to turn things around.

Calbright was a passion project for former Gov. Jerry Brown. He wanted an institution of higher education that could meet the needs of modern students not served by traditional colleges and universities. They could earn skill-based certificates or firm up their academic résumé as a steppingstone to a degree. The school would be online, offer flexible class schedules and provide coaching and advising. Most important, it would be free to students.

The Legislature reluctantly authorized Calbright, and the school started accepting applications in the fall of 2019 as the state’s 115th community college. Since then, success has remained elusive. California State Auditor Elaine Howle has released a stinging report on just how badly Calbright is doing.

The auditors found that the executive team assembled to launch the college lacked public sector and education experience. Many early hiring decisions weren’t made through a competitive process. Some even displayed blatant favoritism. As a result, the wrong people were dropped into a complex project. They were creating something new and innovative, and too many of them lacked the right skills. They missed milestones set in state law.

Meanwhile, they were scandalously overpaid. Many received salaries that far exceeded comparable jobs at other community colleges.

That shaky foundation has led to uninspiring outcomes. More than half of the students who enrolled dropped out or went inactive. On the flip side, only a dozen students graduated. Remember, these aren’t four-year degree programs but job-ready certificates like medical coding and IT support. For some students that might take more than a year, but not all.

Recruiters and enrollment officers haven’t connected with some of the constituencies that the school was supposed to reach. Women as well as Latino residents enrolled at lower portions than at other community colleges.

Finally, Calbright didn’t monitor whether students got jobs after training nor did it work with employers to ensure that the curriculum would properly prepare students for real-world responsibilities.

Calbright has cost Californians more than $100 million and counting. The Legislature has had enough and wants to shut it down by 2024. The state auditor, however, suggests giving the school one year to turn things around.

Calbright should get that chance. The need that the school was meant to address — thousands of adult Californians without the skills to succeed in the workplace — still exists. New leaders at the school say they are committed to implementing the audit’s recommendations and setting a sustainable, successful course.

The audit makes several recommendations to address the problems listed above. For example, the school should bring salaries into alignment with other community colleges, improve recruitment and develop a detailed spending plan. That last one should have been obvious.

The report suggests that the Legislature request another audit by the end of next year to assess whether Calbright successfully changed. If it hasn’t, end it.

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