BILL ANALYSIS Ķ AB 1663 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 18, 2012 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Julia Brownley, Chair AB 1663 (Dickinson) - As Amended: April 11, 2012 SUBJECT : Pupil instruction: California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science SUMMARY : Requests the Regents of the University of California (UC) to set a tuition fee for the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science program that corresponds to actual program costs, up to but not exceeding $2810 per session in the year 2012, and sets this amount as the base for future 5% annual fee increases. EXISTING LAW : 1)Establishes the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science program to provide academic development to enable pupils with demonstrated academic excellence in mathematics and science to receive intensive educational enrichment in these subjects and an opportunity for pupils who wish to study mathematics or science or to pursue careers that require a high degree of skills in and knowledge of mathematics and science. 2)Requests the Regents of the UC to operate the summer school program and to set a tuition fee within a range that corresponds to actual program costs, up to but not exceeding $1,000 in the year 2000, and to increase this fee by an amount of up to 5% each year thereafter. 3)Specifies that pupils who have demonstrated academic excellence in mathematics and science and who meet one of the following criteria shall be eligible for admission: a) The pupil graduated, or will graduate, from the 8th grade at the end of the school year immediately preceding the summer school session for which he or she is applying; b) The pupil is currently enrolled in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive; or, c) The pupil graduated from high school during the school year immediately preceding the summer school session for which he or she is applying. AB 1663 Page 2 4)Expresses the intent of the Legislature that at least 50% but not more than 75% of the actual costs of the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science program would be financed by state funds and the balance of the operating costs would be financed with fees and private support. FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown COMMENTS : Background : The California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, also known as, COSMOS, is an intensive four-week summer residential program for pupils with a demonstrated aptitude for academic and professional careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Pupils completing grades 8-12 have the opportunity to work with faculty, researchers, and scientists while exploring advanced STEM topics beyond those usually offered in California high schools. The program exists at four UC campuses: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz. The pupil participants appear to be closely split between male and female according to data from 2006-2010, during which time 50.4% males and 49.6% females enrolled in the program. Enrollment data from the same time frame shows that Asian students made up 48.1% of COSMOS participants followed by 24.2% White, 17.5% Chicano/Latino, 2.3% African American, and 0.3% American Indian pupils. Purpose of the bill : This bill revises the statute to reflect the current in-state tuition fees assessed for the COSMOS program and sets the base tuition fees at $2810 for the year 2012. Current law specifies that the UC Regents may set a tuition fee within a range that corresponds to actual program costs, up to but not exceeding $1000 per session in the year 2000, and may increase this fee by an amount up to 5% each year thereafter. From the year 2000 to 2005 the program fees were increased by 5% each year. However, in 2005, Senate Bill (SB) 755 (Poochigian), Chapter 676, Statutes of 2005 increased the tuition level to a maximum of $2200 for the year 2006 thus representing an allowable 72% increase from the 2005 level. The statutes setting the base fees at $2200 became inoperative and were repealed on January 1, 2008. The tuition fees were not restored to the 2005 level, and rather continued to increase by 5% every year thereafter, thus resulting in a tuition fee of $2810 for AB 1663 Page 3 the year 2012. This bill codifies this tuition fee level and continues to limit fee increases to a maximum of 5% per year. The provisions allowing for the 2006 increase in fees were amended into SB 755 (Poochigian), a bill dealing with the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. The provisions dealing with COSMOS were added to the bill very late in the legislative process and without a policy or fiscal committee hearing on these amendments. It is uncertain as to what the rationale was for increasing the fees for two years only, or what circumstance may have led to the need to increase the fees. It should be noted that in 2005, a fourth program campus started up and the state level per-pupil funding decreased drastically that year. The University of California, the sponsor of this bill, contends that the fact that the 2006-2007 statutes were not extended was an inadvertent oversight on the part of the UC and this bill seeks to correct it. The author states, "This bill represents a clarifying technical fix to the Education Code to reflect the tuition that COSMOS is charging California residents for 2012 ($2,810) - and would request that the UC Regents continue to raise annual tuition for California residents by no more than 5% annually. Current Education Code language is outdated because it references the year 2000, with a tuition level of $1,000, as the base for future tuition increases. Legislation in 2005 raised the tuition level beyond the 2000 base amount but has since sunsetted, creating a need to update the Education Code." According to the UC, establishing the fees at the current levels will ensure that the program continues to serve and admit students at a level consistent with the number of pupils the program has served over the years. Alternatively, this section of the Education Code could be amended in a way to reflect the tuition amount without the 2006 increase, however that would result in a reduction in the number of students admitted to the program, and could result in the closure of one of the four campus programs. If the fees had been reverted in 2008, the fees would be $1791 for 2012. According to the sponsor, if this bill were to set the fees at the $1791 level for 2012, it would have the effect of reducing the number of participating students by 282 students in 2012. Given the high demand for this program - as demonstrated by the 2596 current year applicants for 665 spots- it appears it may not be prudent to set the fees at this lower level. AB 1663 Page 4 Current statutes provide guidelines for tuition fees, eligibility criteria, and other program elements, relative to the operation of COSMOS. Nevertheless these statues request, and do not require, the UC Regents to operate the program as outlined in the statutes. The UC's constitutional autonomy places limitations on legislative control over the UC. The California Constitution (Section 9 of Article IX) establishes UC as a public trust and confers the full powers of the UC upon the UC Regents. The Constitution establishes that the UC is subject to legislative control only to the degree necessary to ensure the security of its funds and compliance with the terms of its endowments. However, it can be argued that the UC's failure to restore the fees to the 2005 levels was inconsistent with legislative intent.Financial aid : In terms of student participation, currently 30% of COSMOS students receive some sort of financial aid. Current statutes express the intent of the Legislature that the UC award full or partial scholarships on the basis of need and that pupils who are unable to pay all or part of the fee may petition the UC for a fee reduction or waiver to ensure that a qualified applicant is not denied admission solely because of his or her inability to pay part or all of the fee. Current statutes express the intent of the Legislature that the state fund at least 50%, but no more than 75% of the program's actual costs, and that the balance of the costs are to be financed with fees and private support. The full program cost per attendee is $6,500, and state funds currently support 41% of program expenses. Program evaluation : Previous legislative reports on COSMOS (submitted in 2004 and 2006), contain evidence supporting the assertion that COSMOS is realizing the short-term goals the Legislature intended to provide outstanding students opportunities to explore STEM disciplines. There is some evidence that supports the notion that student participation in COSMOS is having the desired mid- to long-term effects of encouraging participants to pursue STEM disciplines as undergraduates and graduate students, and in their careers. The 2008 evaluation of the program notes that a random survey of alumni was conducted and of the 17 alumni that responded 85% were pursuing a STEM discipline or were planning to declare an undergraduate major in a STEM field. The evaluation also includes information from survey follow-up interview questions AB 1663 Page 5 designed to determine how participation in COSMOS influenced participant choices with regards to educational or career objectives. Out of the 17 random alumni interviews, three answered that they did not think COSMOS had an impact, while 14 thought it did, and were able to articulate their belief that COSMOS had an impact on their current objectives. Author's statement: "COSMOS helps California meet its need for a talented workforce by encouraging the brightest students in high schools across the state to continue their interest in STEM fields. COSMOS plays a vital role for the University of California to help develop a talented STEM workforce that will enhance the state's economic climate." Previous legislation : Senate Bill 755 (Poochigian), Chapter 676, Statutes of 2005 changes some requirements of the STAR program and increased the tuition cap of the COSMOS program to $2200 for the year 2006 and repealed these provisions on January 1, 2008. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support University of California (Sponsor) (Prior version) American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (Prior version) Opposition None on file. Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Aviņa / ED. / (916) 319-2087