BILL ANALYSIS Ó
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 835|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 835
Author: Mitchell (D)
Amended: 6/29/11 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-1, 6/22/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NOES: Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 5/5/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Community colleges: Economic and Workforce
Development Program
SOURCE : Environmental Academy Boosters
DIGEST : This bill authorizes a California community
college district to enroll a high school pupil who is not a
resident of that district in a program that is developed
and implemented by the district and provides that the
district shall not be subject to any other geographic
limitations as specified.
ANALYSIS : Existing law, the Career Technical Education
(CTE) Pathways Initiative, created by SB 70 (Scott),
Chapter 352, Statutes of 2005, requires the Board of
Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges (CCC)
to assist economic and workforce regional development
CONTINUED
AB 835
Page
2
centers and consortia to improve CTE education pathways
between high schools and community colleges and requires
the CCC Chancellor to develop, implement and report on a
strategy for CTE Pathway Initiative program objectives and
outcomes.
Existing law provides opportunities for minor students to
enroll in college-level, degree-applicable courses for
advanced scholastic or advanced vocational purposes while
they are in high school. Existing law authorizes the
governing board of a school district, upon recommendation
of the principal of a pupil's school and with parental
consent, to authorize a student to concurrently enroll in a
community college during any session or term to undertake
one or more courses of instruction.
Existing state law and implementing regulations establishes
the CCC BOG as the entity responsible for approval of CCC
academic programs and setting minimum standards for credit
and noncredit courses.
This bill specifies that notwithstanding any other law, a
community college district may enroll a high school pupil
who is not a resident of the district in a SB 70 program
that is developed and implemented by the district if the
program is designed to serve high school pupils or involves
multiple school districts or community college districts,
or both, and the program is not offered at the pupil's high
school.
Comments
California Technical Education Pathways Initiative . The
CTE Pathways Initiative, established by SB 70 in 2005,
provides funding to be dispersed by the CCC Chancellor's
Office and the California Department of Education (CDE) to
CCC and K-12 districts to support programs that strengthen
students' academic and career readiness. Initial funding
in the amount of $20 million from the Community College
reversion account was provided in 2005, and in 2006, SB
1133 (Torlakson), Chapter 751, Statutes of 2006 provides
additional funding through the 2013-14 fiscal year. The
CCC has issued grants that support regional linkages
between schools and CCCs and grants to support statewide
CONTINUED
AB 835
Page
3
infrastructure grants. As of July 30, 2010, CTE Pathways
Initiative funding totaled approximately $188 million. All
regions of the state have received grant support. Based on
available data, this funding has helped create or enhance
at least 5,134 CTE partner organizations, 342,957 skills
training or upgrades to students, and 16,806 teachers,
counselors, and staff have participated in training or
partnerships. Grants have been awarded in two broad
categories:
1. Coordinated regional/local implementation grants that
support linkages as well as capacity building between
and among middle schools, high schools, and regional
occupational centers and programs, community colleges,
and industry and other organizations to develop
coordinated programs serving students, faculty, and/or
stakeholders.
2. Statewide infrastructure grants that strengthen
California's CTE infrastructure and support capacity
building, including research and development.
California partnership academies . Partnership academies
are structured as a school within a school for grades 10-12
inclusive and provide integrated academic and career
technical education to students who present a high risk of
dropping out of school. Academies provide occupational
training in areas such as electronics, computer technology,
finance, agribusiness, graphic arts, international
business, and more recently, green technologies. Key
elements of a partnership academy include business
partnerships, teacher teams, mentoring, and internships.
Students are matched with mentors in their junior year and
typically begin an internship after completing their junior
year. A 2008 report by the California Center for College
and Career indicates that academies have a positive impact
on school performance. Compared with statewide averages
for students in comprehensive high school programs,
students in partnership academies tend to have better pass
rates on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE),
complete more rigorous courses, and have better graduation
rates.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
CONTINUED
AB 835
Page
4
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/30/11)
Environmental Academy Boosters (source)
Academy of the Redwoods
California Association of Leaders for Career Preparation
Environmental Science Academy for Oakland High School
Regional Council of Rural Counties
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The sponsor of this bill, the
Environmental Academy Boosters, provides workshops that
"bring together diverse student populations in
geographically diverse locations for training that may not
fit the traditional concept for CTE Pathways programs."
The sponsor indicates the difficulty finding a host site
for its Environmental Career Preparation programs due to
"current statutory and regulatory barriers." According to
the sponsor, most of the students served by the workshops
participate in California partnership academies and the
workshops add to their CTE work in those programs.
Students typically participate in the workshops during a
weekend as an extracurricular activity, and presently no
credit is awarded for attending the workshop.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson,
Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey,
Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman,
Jeffries, Knight, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell,
Nestande, Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez,
Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson,
Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada,
John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Furutani, Garrick, Gorell, Jones,
Nielsen, Vacancy
CONTINUED
AB 835
Page
5
CPM:do 6/30/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED