BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1456|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 1456
Author: Lowenthal (D), et al.
Amended: 8/24/12
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/18/12
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Huff, Liu,
Price, Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/24/12
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Dutton, Lieu, Price,
Steinberg
SENATE FLOOR : 35-1, 5/29/12
AYES: Alquist, Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Calderon,
Cannella, Correa, De León, DeSaulnier, Dutton, Emmerson,
Evans, Fuller, Gaines, Hancock, Harman, Hernandez, Huff,
Kehoe, La Malfa, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod,
Padilla, Pavley, Price, Rubio, Simitian, Steinberg,
Strickland, Walters, Wolk, Wright, Wyland
NOES: Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Corbett, Lieu, Runner, Vargas
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Student Success Act of 2012
SOURCE : Board of Governors, California Community
Colleges
California Community Colleges Chancellors
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Office
DIGEST : This bill establishes new requirements to be met
by low-income students in order to receive a Board of
Governors (BOG) fee waiver at the California Community
Colleges (CCC), revises and recasts the Seymour-Campbell
Matriculation Act of 1986 as the Seymour-Campbell Success
Act of 2012, and establishes new requirements to be met in
order for community college districts to receive
matriculation funds.
Assembly Amendments (1) reinstate intent language, (2) move
student notification requirement to intent section, (3)
strengthen student protections, (4) make other technical
changes, and (5) add coauthors.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires the BOG to charge each
student a $46 per unit per semester fee effective with the
summer term of 2012. Existing law exempts certain students
from the fee requirement including students enrolled in
noncredit courses, California State University, and
University of California students enrolled in remedial
courses offered by the CCC, and students enrolled in credit
contract education courses where the full cost of the
course is paid by the contracting entity. Current law also
authorizes an exemption from these fees for special
part-time students.
Existing law also requires a waiver of these fees for
students meeting specified criteria which include;
Students who meet specified income requirements.
Students who are the dependent or surviving spouse of a
National Guard member who die or was disabled as a result
of their service.
The surviving spouse or child of a deceased law
enforcement or fire suppression personnel, as specified.
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The dependent of an individual killed on September 11,
2001, as specified.
Existing law requires that the colleges make available a
variety of "matriculation services" to students in order to
ensure that students receive educational services necessary
to optimize their opportunities for success. Matriculation
requirements are only operative if funds are specifically
appropriated for these purposes.
This bill:
1.Requires otherwise eligible students to meet academic and
progress standards, as adopted by the BOG, in order to
receive a BOG fee waiver, and specifies that these
standards, meet specified requirements, including:
A. Be uniform across all CCC districts and not include
a maximum unit cap;
B. Be adopted in consultation with students, faculty
and other stakeholders, considering specified
criteria; and,
C. Include a reasonable, phased-in implementation
period that commences no sooner than one year from
adoption of the minimum academic and progress
standards or any subsequent changes to these
standards.
1.States legislative intent that:
A. Minimum academic and progress standards be
implemented only to the extent adequate student
support services and interventions are provided to
ensure no disproportionate impact to students based on
ethnicity, gender, disability or socioeconomic status,
and the BOG consider the ability of CCC districts to
meet these requirements before adopting minimum
academic and progress standards; and,
B. A student not lose fee waiver eligibility without a
CCC first demonstrating a reasonable effort to provide
a student with adequate notice and assistance in
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maintaining his or her fee waiver eligibility, and the
BOG adopt regulations to implement this provision, as
specified.
1.Requires the BOG to notify and provide specified
information to the policy and fiscal committees of the
Legislature prior to adopting minimum academic and
progress standards.
2.Recasts the Seymour-Campbell Matriculation Act of 1986 as
the Seymour-Campbell Success Act of 2012, and establishes
a Student Success and Support Program, which, in addition
to existing services provided under a matriculation
agreement, is to include the development of an
educational plan related to a student's academic and
career goals.
3.States that a student's responsibility under a
matriculation agreement is to identify an academic and
career goal, declare a specified course of study within a
time period or course unit accumulation to be determined
by the BOG, and maintain academic progress toward an
educational goal and course of study identified in his or
her educational plan.
4.Requires the BOG to establish an implementation period
for the Student Success and Support Program, to be phased
in as resources are available.
5.Requires the BOG, in consultation with stakeholders, to
establish policies and processes requiring all students,
except those determined to be exempt, to complete
orientation and assessment and to develop educational
plans and to adopt an appeals process. This requirement
is to be implemented over a period of time, as determined
by the BOG in consideration of available resources, and
states legislative intent that these policies and
procedures be developed and implemented only as resources
are provided and utilized by CCCs to provide the student
support services, individual counseling and advising, and
technology-based strategies necessary to ensure that
students can successfully meet the new eligibility
requirements.
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6.Requires the BOG to develop a funding formula, as
specified-replacing the existing funding formula
developed for matriculation services-to allocate funding
among districts under the Student Success and Support
Program. The funding formula is to include a requirement
that, if participating districts use an assessment tool,
they use the BOG's common assessment tool.
7.Requires participating colleges to develop a Student
Success and Support Program plan, as specified.
8. Stipulates that #4 through #8 are only operable in any
fiscal year when funds are appropriated specifically for
these purposes.
9. Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to report to
the Legislature by July 1, 2014, and every even-numbered
year thereafter, on the implementation and impacts of
the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012.
Comments
Pursuant to SB 1143 (Liu), Chapter 409, Statutes of 2010,
the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges
created the Student Success Task Force (SSTF); 20
individuals (community college chief executive officers,
faculty, students, researchers, staff and external stake
holders) who spent a year researching, studying and
debating the best methods to improve student outcomes at
the community colleges.
According to the SSTF report, which was unanimously adopted
by the Board of Governors in January 2012, it was their
goal to identify best practices for promoting student
success and to develop statewide strategies to take these
approaches to scale while ensuring that educational
opportunity for historically underrepresented students
would not just be maintained, but bolstered. The report
noted that while a number of disturbing statistics around
student completion reflect the challenges faced by the
students they serve, they also clearly demonstrate the need
for the system to recommit to finding new and better ways
to serve its students.
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The SSTF efforts resulted in 22 specific recommendations
and the report, per the requirements of the legislation,
was presented to the Legislature at a joint informational
hearing of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and the
Senate Education Committee in February 2012. Implementation
of these recommendations will be accomplished through
regulatory changes, system-wide administrative policies,
local best practices and legislation.
This bill contains statutory changes necessary for
implementation of some of the recommendations of the SSTF.
Similar study/findings . In February 2012, the Little
Hoover Commission issued a report Serving Students, Serving
California: Updating the California Community Colleges to
Meet Evolving Demands. The report noted that the findings
and conclusions of this study were consistent with many of
the findings of the Student Success Task Force. Similar to
this bill, the report called for, among other things, the
implementation of a student success scorecard, establishing
additional criteria for BOG fee waivers, and strengthening
of support for entering students.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
Since 2009-10, when significant budget reductions were
enacted across the CCC, annual state funding for
matriculation has totaled $49.2 million. (In 2008-09,
funding for matriculation totaled $101.8 million.)
This bill, over time, will create significant General Fund
(Proposition 98) cost pressure to increase funding for
matriculation services, specifically for expansion of
orientation, assessment, and development of students'
educational plans. (The student/counselor ratio at the CCC
is currently about 1900:1.)
Using more efficient means to deliver these services, such
as a systemwide common assessment and web-based
counseling/planning tools, where appropriate, will
ameliorate some of these cost pressures. Aside from these
efficiencies, expansion of matriculation funding will be
dependent annual budget decisions.
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Any additional costs for CCC districts to determine
students' eligibility for BOG fee waivers will depend on
the qualifying academic and progress standards established
by the local CCC governing board. To the extent these
standards involve student performance characteristics
already acquired by CCC districts, costs should not be
significant. If any CCC districts have to modify their
information technology systems to determine students'
eligibility for waivers under these new requirements, those
one-time costs would be state-reimbursable.
To the extent more students are no longer eligible for a
BOG fee waiver due to the academic and progress standards,
there will be an increase in student fee revenue if these
students nevertheless continue to enroll.
To the extent implementation of this bill increases the
rate of student course completion, and ultimately the
number of enrolled CCC students attaining their educational
goals, over time the system will benefit from reduced
administrative costs and greater efficiencies, and the
state will benefit from a more educated workforce, which
tends to increase wages and thus tax revenues.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/28/12)
Board of Governors, California Community Colleges
(co-source)
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
(co-source)
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Advancement Project
Alliance for a Better Community
Association of California Community College Administrators
Association of Independent California Colleges and
Universities
AVID
Barrio Logan College Institute
Bay Area Council
Beverly Hills Picture Framing
California Association for Postsecondary Education and
Disability
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California Association of Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors' National Association
California Catholic Conference, Inc.
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California Business Education Association
California Chamber of Commerce
California Communities United Institute
California Community College Association for Occupational
Education
California Competes
California Hospital Association
California State Student Association
California State University
Californians for Justice
Campaign for College Opportunity
Central American Resource Center
Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
Centro CHA, Inc.
Chaffey College
Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Coast Community College District
College of the Canyons
College of the Desert
College OPTIONS
Community College League of California
Congregations Building Community
Cosumnes River College
EARN
Families in Schools
Fresno State Associated Students Inc.
Girls, Inc. of Orange County
Greater Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization
Greater Sacramento Urban League
Green Dot Public Schools
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Huckleberry Youth Programs
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
InnerCity Struggle
Irvine Valley College
Kern Community College District
Little Hoover Commission
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Long Beach Community College District
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Community College District
Los Rios Community College District
MALDEF
Maximizing Access to Advance our Communities
Merced Community College District
National Council of La Raza
North Bay Leadership Council
One Voice
Orange County Business Council
Parent Institute for Quality Education
PIQE Los Angeles
Parent Revolution
Progressive Christians Uniting
Project Grad, Los Angeles
Public Advocates
Regional Economic Association Leaders Coalition
San Bernardino Community College District
San Diego Community College District
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
San Joaquin Community College District
San Joaquin Delta College
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Several individuals
Sharp HealthCare
Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Southern California College Access Network
Southwestern College
Stanislaus County Office of Education
State Building and Construction Trades Council
State Center Community College District
Student Senate for California Community Colleges
The Arc of California
The Education Trust-West
The Greenlining Institute
The Women's Foundation of California
Valley Industry and Commerce Association
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
Youth Policy Institute
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OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/28/12)
California Teachers Association
City College of San Francisco
San Jose - Evergreen Community College District Board of
Trustees
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "The
California Community College system is an accessible and
affordable gateway to educational advancement for the 2.6
million students it serves. However, budget reductions
over the years have led to many first-time students being
turned away, existing students not getting the classes they
need, and student support services, such as counseling,
assessment and orientation to be drastically cut. The
result has been too many students not getting the guidance
and courses they need to reach their goals of a degree,
certificate, transfer or career advancement."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : Opponents believe that without
mandated enforcement mechanisms to leverage available
resources, SB 1456 will create a two-tier system of
students: those with life, family and educational
experiences that foster their movement through the existing
cumbersome community college system vs. students who lack
the necessary language, computer and mathematical skills
necessary for college success. While the goal of the bill
on the surface might free up the time of counselors and
advisors to assist the student that is unprepared for
college work, history tells us that this does not occur.
Data from the Chancellor's office aptly
demonstrates that even with additional funding (Partnership
for Excellence), many local districts failed to hire
additional counseling faculty.
PQ:n 8/28/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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