Building Data Literacy and Stewardship into the Budgeting Process at Riverside Community College District
Impact at a Glance
Strengthened data and budget literacy across the district
Introduced shared data standards into planning and budgeting
Connected resource decisions more closely to student outcomes
Increased collaboration across three colleges and the district office
Advanced more consistent and transparent resource allocation
The Challenge
Riverside Community College District (RCCD) serves more than 60,000 students annually through three colleges—Moreno Valley College, Norco College, and Riverside City College. Each college is a Hispanic-serving institution, with a shared commitment to access, student success, and equity.
Historically, the colleges used individual approaches to budget development. Changes in state funding and district allocation models created a need to better coordinate practices across the district.
RCCD wanted to:
- Better align budgeting with state initiatives and funding requirements
- Establish consistent terminology across the district
- Improve interoperability within the budgeting process
- Strengthen data and budget literacy among stakeholders
- Direct resources toward initiatives supporting student success and equity
The goal was to create a more informed, consistent, and transparent approach to planning and resource allocation.
The Action
RCCD's colleges and district office worked together to strengthen data literacy and stewardship within planning and budgeting.
The district focused on helping faculty and staff:
- Ask the right questions when using data
- Collect and standardize data consistently
- Develop a shared understanding of data terminology and meaning
- Interpret data and communicate its story
- Translate insights into appropriate actions
- Assess results annually
These practices were designed to help stakeholders better understand how budget, allocation, and spending decisions affect student outcomes.
The Results
Immediate Impact
- Increased focus on data and budget literacy
- Established shared standards for collecting, interpreting, and communicating data
- Identified the need for common budgeting terminology
- Strengthened collaboration among the three colleges and district office
Process Improvements
- Better connected budget development with strategic planning goals
- Increased emphasis on data stewardship throughout the budgeting process
- Strengthened understanding of how resource decisions relate to student outcomes
- Created a more coordinated approach to planning and budgeting across the district
Ongoing Momentum
- Enhance budget allocation models to improve consistency and transparency
- Continue prioritizing assessment and data transparency
- Strengthen alignment around shared goals across the district
- Advance resource allocation practices that support student success and equity
“We're required to have participatory governance which means that our budgeting process is very involved and very inclusive. This project helped us identify a need for defining common budgeting terms as well as tools to assist those that aren't necessarily budget professionals.”
Aaron BrownVice Chancellor, Business and Financial Services
