BILL NUMBER: AB 835 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21, 2011
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mitchell
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
An act to amend Section 88532 of the Education Code, relating to
community colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 835, as amended, Mitchell. Community colleges: Economic and
Workforce Development Program.
Existing law, until January 1, 2013, establishes the California
Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program.
Existing law provides for the awarding of grants for this program,
and provides that this program shall only be implemented during
fiscal years for which funds are appropriated for these purposes.
Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as part of the program, to assist economic and
workforce regional development centers and consortia to improve
linkages and career-technical education pathways between high schools
and community colleges, in a manner that, among other things,
improves the quality of career exploration and career outreach
materials. Existing law also requires the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges to develop an implementation strategy
for achieving this goal, as specified.
The bill would authorize community college districts to enroll
high school pupils who are not residents of the district in a program
developed and implemented by the district and to grant academic
credit to high school pupils for courses meeting specified criteria.
The bill would grant authority for the fiscal management of these
programs to the Dean of the California Community Colleges Economic
and Workforce Development Program of the California Community
Colleges.
The bill would also authorize high school pupils, enrolled in
certain school districts, to have up to 10 excused absences from high
school, as specified.
Because this provision would impose new duties on certain school
districts by requiring them to excuse absences and allow pupils
participating in programs pursuant to the bill to make up work, it
would constitute a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 88532 of the Education Code is amended to read:
88532. (a) The board of governors shall assist economic and
workforce regional development centers and consortia, including
middle and junior high schools or high schools and regional
occupational centers and programs, to improve linkages and
career-technical education pathways between high schools and
community colleges for the benefit of pupils and students in both
education systems. This assistance shall include all of the
following:
(1) Expanding certificate programs in identified economic
development program strategic priority areas.
(2) Aligning existing technical preparation programs and
career-technical education curriculum between high schools and
community colleges to more targeted industry-driven programs through
the models consistent with economic and workforce development
strategic priority areas.
(3) Promoting the California Community Colleges Economic and
Workforce Development Program's successful integration of business
and emerging industries with career technical programs provided in
high schools.
(4) Creating new articulated courses between high schools and
community colleges and, where appropriate, four-year institutions.
(5) Accelerating education and training for those students who
choose to be prepared for career and technical employment
opportunities in less traditional and more expeditious methods while
maintaining and or improving student competencies.
(6) Exploring new and more relevant career and technical practicum
models that integrate coursework and student internship.
(7) Improving the quality of career exploration and career
outreach materials.
(8) Disseminating materials and curriculum to all middle schools
and senior high schools.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all of the
following shall apply to a program developed and implemented under
this section, designed to serve high school pupils, that involves
multiple school districts or community college districts, or both:
(1) A community college district may enroll a high school pupil
who is not a resident of that community college district in a program
that is developed and implemented by the community college district
pursuant to this section, and the district shall not be subject to
any other geographic limitations for these purposes.
(2) A community college may grant academic credit to a high school
pupil for a program, developed and implemented pursuant to this
section, that meets the criteria of existing courses and is conducted
as part of contract education or other similar process.
(3) The Dean of the Economic and Workforce Development Program of
the California Community Colleges shall have authority over fiscal
management for programs, developed and implemented pursuant to this
section, that serve students in multiple community college districts.
(4) A high school pupil who is enrolled in a school district that
is not part of a collaborative established under this chapter, and
who participates in a program that is developed and implemented under
this section and is conducted during the school hours of his or her
school of attendance, shall have his or her absence deemed to be
excused, and shall be allowed to complete assignments and tests
missed, as permitted under Section 48205. No more than 10 days of
absence per school year shall be excused pursuant to this paragraph.
(5)
(4) A school district or community college district
that participates in a program developed and implemented pursuant to
this section shall accept a fingerprint verification of a person, as
required by Section 45125.1, by another district participating in
that program as meeting that person's fingerprint verification
requirements.
(6)
(5) A program developed and implemented pursuant to
this section shall be deemed to meet the criteria for dual enrollment
of a high school pupil in community college and high school set
forth in Article 1 (commencing with Section 76000) of Chapter 1 of
Part 47.
(c) The chancellor shall develop an implementation strategy for
the program objectives delineated in this section as a part of the
annual expenditure plan submitted to the advisory committee for the
California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development
Program and the board of governors.
(d) This section shall be operative only in fiscal years for which
funds have been appropriated by the Legislature expressly for the
purposes of this section.
(e) The board of governors shall ensure that elementary and
secondary school educators strongly collaborate with college faculty
in implementing this section.
SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.