Integrating Equity-Focused Metrics into Planning and Budgeting Processes at Central Lakes College
Impact at a Glance
Integrated equity goals into planning and budgeting
Used equity-focused criteria to prioritize funding decisions
Connected measurable student outcomes to resource allocation
Expanded planning to include academic and non-academic departments
Strengthened shared responsibility for closing equity gaps
The Challenge
Central Lakes College (CLC), a public community college in Minnesota, is working toward the goals of Minnesota State Equity 2030, a statewide initiative focused on closing educational equity gaps by the end of the decade.
To support these goals, CLC wanted to more intentionally connect equity, student outcomes, and resource allocation. This meant finding ways to:
- Align budget requests with institutional equity goals
- Incorporate measurable outcomes into planning and budgeting
- Identify institutional practices that may contribute to disparities
- Engage employees across the college in resource decisions
- Connect strategic priorities more directly to funding
The goal was to make equity a more explicit and measurable part of how the college plans, prioritizes, and allocates resources.
The Action
CLC incorporated elements of NACUBO's Budget Equity Blueprint into its annual planning and budgeting processes.
The college:
- Added equity-focused questions to the budget process
- Used the Prioritization Rubric to guide funding decisions
- Reviewed student learning and co-curricular assessments alongside strategic and departmental work plans
- Engaged employees in conversations about outcomes and priorities before budget requests were submitted
- Expanded planning activities to include non-academic departments
- Updated planning guidelines and forms to better connect assessment, work plans, and budget proposals
These changes created a more intentional connection between equity goals, measurable outcomes, and resource allocation.
The Results
Immediate Impact
- Aligned funding allocations more closely with institutional equity goals
- Prioritized programs and initiatives that support closing educational equity gaps
- Increased employee engagement in planning and resource allocation
- Brought academic and non-academic departments into a more coordinated planning process
Process Improvements
- Integrated equity-focused metrics into planning and budgeting
- Strengthened connections among assessment, strategic planning, and budget development
- Increased emphasis on measurable student outcomes
- Created more intentional conversations about barriers to student success
- Improved the college's ability to identify institutional practices that may contribute to disparities
Ongoing Momentum
- Continue aligning resource decisions with Minnesota State Equity 2030
- Use measurable goals and metrics to guide equity-focused decisions
- Maintain collaborative planning across departments
- Continue identifying and addressing barriers to equitable student outcomes
“This work is important so that we can better support our guided pathways and transfer priorities, equity work, and strategic goals for the college. We need to ensure that we have the financial means and resource allocation process to support the ideas that will move the dial on equity and equitable student outcomes. We cannot allow the barrier of having financial challenges to impede our ability to support these goals.”
Kari ChristiansenVice President of Administration Services
