BILL ANALYSIS
SB 675
Page A
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 675 (Steinberg)
As Amended August 16, 2010
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :26-9
EDUCATION 7-1 NATURAL RESOURCES 6-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, |Ayes:|Chesbro, Brownley, De |
| |Ammiano, Arambula, | |Leon, Hill, Huffman, |
| |Carter, Eng, Torlakson | |Skinner |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Miller |Nays:|Gilmore, Knight, Logue |
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Fuentes, Bradford, | | |
| |Huffman, Coto, Davis, De | | |
| |Leon, Gatto, Hall, | | |
| |Skinner, Solorio, | | |
| |Torlakson, Torrico | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Conway, Harkey, Miller, | | |
| |Nielsen, Norby | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the Clean Technology and Renewable Energy
Job Training, Career Technical Education, and Dropout Prevention
Program by creating a grant program for California Partnership
Academies (CPAs) that focus on clean technology and renewable
energy businesses, as specified. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings and declarations regarding renewable energy,
energy conservation, clean technology and climate change
policies, with a focus on California's leadership in those
areas, the need to use renewable energy and the technologies
it requires to reduce high school dropout and joblessness
rates for the state's young people and to develop the state's
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renewable energy resources.
2)States legislative intent to stimulate the state's economy by
creating CPAs that will lead to the creation of good paying
jobs in industries and businesses that are in compliance with
the state's environmental protection laws and regulations, and
to prepare young people and adults to work in clean, green
industries and professions.
3)Declares that the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission known as the California Energy
Commission (CEC) is currently authorized to increase the
amount of the existing surcharge imposed on the consumption of
electrical energy and states that if the CEC takes this
authorized action, the resulting funds would be available to
fund the program established by this bill.
4)Defines "clean technology business" and renewable energy
business" as specified.
5)Requires the State Controller to annually allocate $8 million
dollars from the Energy Resources Program Account (ERPA), upon
appropriation by the Legislature, to the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI) for expenditure in the form of local
grants to school districts to be allocated using the same
criteria for allocation of CPA funds, except as specified.
6)Provides that a school district applying for a grant under
this bill shall meet the existing CPA requirements and shall
propose to implement or maintain a CPA that focuses on
employment in clean technology or renewable energy businesses
and provides skilled workforces for the products and services
for energy or water conservation, or both, renewable energy,
pollution reduction, or other technologies that improve the
environment in furtherance of state environmental laws.
7)Requires the SPI to consult with the CEC to ensure that
grantee programs are consistent with current state energy
policies and priorities.
8)Requires the SPI in awarding the grants to give first priority
to school districts that propose to establish a CPA at school
sites that do not currently participate in the CPA program,
and second priority to school districts that would establish a
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CPA at school sites that do not participate in the in the
green CPA program.
9)Specifies the allowable grant amounts for the clean technology
and renewable energy CPAs as follows:
a) $1,400 per year for each qualified student enrolled
during the first year of operation and limits the total
grant amount for the first year to no more than $42,000;
b) $1,400 per year for each qualified student enrolled
during the second year of operation and limits the total
grant amount for the second year to no more than $84,000;
c) $1,200 per year for each qualified student enrolled
during the third year of operation and limits the total
grant amount for the third year to no more than $108,000;
and,
d) $900 per year for each qualified student enrolled during
the fourth and following years of operation and limits the
total grant amount for that fiscal year to no more than
$138,000.
10)Stipulates that a "qualified student" has the same meaning as
described in provisions governing the CPA program and shall
also include a 9th grade student who meets the at-risk
criteria specified in the CPA program and other specified
criteria.
11)Authorizes the SPI to provide a grant to a school district
that has received a grant under the existing CPA program
subject to the provisions of this bill and the availability of
funds.
12)Requires the SPI to encourage a school district that receives
a grant pursuant to this bill to work and coordinate with
regional occupational centers and programs for the required
career technical education (CTE) sequence of courses and
authorizes up to 4% of the funds transferred to the SPI
pursuant to this bill to be expended to pay for administrative
costs of the program.
13)Makes the provisions of this bill inoperative on June 30,
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2016, and repeals them as of January 1, 2017, unless a later
enacted statute that becomes operative on or before January 1,
2017 deletes or extends this date.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the CPA program as a state-school-private sector
partnership to provide combined academic and occupational
training to eligible at-risk students in grades 10-12,
inclusive.
2)Establishes the Green Technology Partnership Academies and the
Goods Movement Partnership Academies, commencing with the
2009-10 school year, and requires, when funds become available
for additional partnership academies, the SPI to issue grants
for the establishment of such partnership academies in each of
the nine economic regions established by the state.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Requires the State Controller to annually allocate $8 million
from ERPA to the SPI for grants for CPAs.
2)Expresses legislative intent that the funds deposited in the
ERPA be available to fund programs specified in this measure.
ERPA provides funding (derived from a surcharge on rate
payers) for the administration of the CEC. The Governor's
2010-11 Budget proposes approximately $71 million for ERPA.
According to the author, there is approximately $8 million in
ERPA funds that are not being utilized by the CEC.
COMMENTS : A CPA is a three-year program in grades 10-12,
structured as a school-within-a-school. CPAs serve at-risk
pupils and the program requires that no less than one half of
each new class must meet the specified at-risk criteria. The
criteria used for student eligibility includes: irregular
attendance, past record of underachievement, low motivation or
disinterest in the regular academic program, and economical
disadvantages. The curriculum of CPAs is focused on a career
theme and is coordinated with related academic classes. The
career technical focus for a CPA is determined by an analysis of
the local labor market and fields that have companies willing to
support the program. According to the California Department of
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Education (CDE), there are 475 CPAs currently operating in the
state.
AB 2855 (Hancock), Chapter 685, Statutes of 2008, established,
commencing with the 2009-10 school year, the Green Technology
Partnership Academies as a new category of CPAs, and AB 519
(Budget Committee), Chapter 757, Statutes of 2008, appropriated
$12.5 million from the Public Interest Research, Development,
and Demonstration Fund to fund 61 new CPAs that focus on clean
technology, renewable energy, pollution reduction, and other
"green" environmental technologies. AB 519, however only
provides this additional funding for three years and the funding
will sunset in 2011-12. According to the CDE there are
currently 58 green technology CPAs operating in California high
schools.
This bill provides $8 million from the ERPA under the
jurisdiction of the CEC, to fund clean technology and renewable
energy CPAs. The SPI is required to consult with the CEC to
ensure the grantee programs are consistent with state energy
policies and priorities. The CEC, established in 1974 and
comprised of five individuals appointed by the Governor and the
Senate, is responsible for developing and implementing the
state's energy policies, forecasting statewide energy needs,
siting and licensing thermal power plants, promoting energy
conservation programs, and conducting energy-related research
and development programs.
The CEC is primarily funded through a surcharge on customers at
a rate determined by the CEC annually, but at no more than
$.0003 per kilowatt-hour. The Governor's proposed 2010-11
budget contains $70.370 million in the Energy Resources Program
Account, of which, $60.886 million is derived from this
surcharge. Because the AB 519 funding will sunset in 2011-12,
this bill may allow for continued funding of existing green
CPAs. Program requirements for green CPAs that already exist in
statute are very similar to those created by this bill, and thus
this bill appears to create a duplicate program.
There has been much interest in the issue of reforming high
schools and increasing CTE opportunities for pupils in
California schools as an approach to provide access to a
relevant curriculum for pupils who may be disengaged and at risk
of dropping out. The California Dropout Research Project
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released a report entitled, Solving California's Dropout Crisis
which estimated that only about two thirds of California's
students graduate on time and that dropping out and low
achievement have many shared causes such as poor attendance, low
engagement and low-quality instruction. One of the
recommendations in the report suggested that the state should
consider more options for students to meet the graduation
requirements and points out that, "An increasing number of
states have pursued the idea of multiple pathways for students
to meet high school graduation requirements such as through
career and technical education courses."
The CPA model has demonstrated to be a promising model that
provides rigorous academic and CTE opportunities to pupils. A
study conducted on CPAs showed that the graduation rate for
partnership academy seniors during the 2004-05 school year was
higher than those of the statewide population, and that CPA
students passed the high school exit exam at higher rates than
did the general student population.<1> It can be suggested that
there is some evidence that the concept of combining preparation
for both college and careers is a promising instructional
approach, and there also appears to be reasonable demand for
CPAs that focus in green and clean technology.
According to the author, "California suffers from too many high
school dropouts, too little meaningful career technical
education (CTE) at the middle and high school levels, and the
lack of a skilled workforce to fuel the emerging green economy.
California must lead the world in addressing both the problems
of its youth and the opportunities created by the new green
economy. SB 675 offers solutions at the intersection of these
two state priorities. Investment in these emerging careers and
industries will drive the next phase of California's economic
growth in a way that helps us meet the challenge of climate
change. This investment in reducing the dropout rate, expanding
workforce opportunities, and targeting climate change will
create major economic stimulus for clean energy and technology
jobs in California that will jumpstart our economy and improve
our quality of life."
Prior legislation: AB 2855 (Hancock), Chapter 685, Statutes of
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<1> Profile of the California Partnership Academies 2004-2005.
ConnectED The California Center for College and Career. March
2007.
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2008, establishes, commencing with the 2009-10 school year, the
Green Technology Partnership Academies and the Goods Movement
Partnership Academies as two new categories of CPAs.
SB 1672 (Steinberg) of 2008, which died in the Assembly, would
have established the Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Career
Technical Education, and Clean Technology Job Creation Bond Act
of 2010, to be operative only if approved by voters at an
unspecified election in 2010.
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avina / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0006094