BILL ANALYSIS Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair 2211 (Fuentes) Hearing Date: 08/02/2010 Amended: 07/15/2010 Consultant: Dan Troy Policy Vote: ED 7-0 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: AB 2211, an urgency measure, would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop principles and guidelines for the establishment of work-based learning programs and authorize school districts to provide these programs, as specified. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund Guidelines $150 to $200 General _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Current law authorizes school districts maintaining a high school to establish "work experience education" programs to provide students with instruction in skills, attitudes, and understandings necessary for success in the workplace, including guidance and supervision, arranging credit for work experience education courses, and authorizing the district to purchase liability insurance for students enrolled in programs of study involving work experience or vocational education at locations off school grounds. Current law also authorizes several avenues to provide career technical education (CTE), such as Regional Occupational Centers and Programs and Partnership Academies for the purpose of integrating academic and vocational education and motivating students to stay in school and graduate with the skills necessary to advance into postsecondary education, advanced workforce training, or the workforce. This bill would define work-based learning as an educational approach or instructional methodology that uses the workplace or real work to provide pupils with knowledge and skills that will help them connect school experiences to real-life work activities and future career opportunities. These programs could be delivered by partnership academies, regional occupational programs, and other educational programs and may include but are not limited to work experience education, community classrooms, cooperative career technical education programs, and job shadowing. The bill would require districts that offer work-based learning to provide the same statutory and regulatory safeguards as pupils in work experience programs. Districts would also be authorized to purchase liability insurance for participating pupils. Further, the bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop principles and guidelines, in conjunction with stakeholders, for the establishment of work-based learning and require consideration of existing guidelines or regulations Page 2 AB 2211 (Fuentes) relative to work-based learning or work experience programs including the most current academic and CTE standards. By requiring the SPI to develop guidelines and principles to implement work-based learning, this bill would result in workload at the Department of Education of approximately $150,000 to $200,000. The bill authorizes the Department to use existing federal or state funds for these purposes, though it appears that no such funds are available. The bill further authorizes the Department to apply for and receive grants, donations, and other forms of public and private resources to complete the task. A similar bill, AB 323 (Fuentes, 2009), was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message cited concerns that students would be placed in work opportunities that did not have significant academic content.