BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 173
Author: Liu (D)
Amended: 5/28/13
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/17/13
AYES: Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Huff,
Jackson, Monning
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/23/13
AYES: De León, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
SUBJECT : Adult education
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill reduces the categories of adult education
courses authorized to be offered by K-12 districts and the
California community colleges (CCCs) in order to receive state
funding and establishes processes and new authorities to align
student assessment policy, performance data and accountability
systems, teacher qualifications, and fee policy for adult
education courses offered by either the CCC or K-12 local
educational agencies. This bill also declares the Legislature's
intent that adult education funding is allocated on the basis of
enrollment and performance beginning in 2015-16.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
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1.Authorizes both the CCCs and K-12 systems to offer and receive
state funding for adult education courses.
2.Prohibits the local governing board of a community college
district (CCD) maintaining a noncredit course from requiring
an adult enrolled in such a course to pay nonresident tuition
or any fee or charge of any kind for a class in English and
citizenship for foreigners, a class in an elementary subject,
a class designated as granting high school credit to an
individual without a high school diploma or other adult basic
education programs and courses, as specified.
3.Authorizes a school district governing board to require a fee
of an adult enrolled in a class for adults and prohibits the
total of the fees required and revenues derived from average
daily attendance from exceeding the estimated cost of
maintaining such classes. Also prohibits the imposition of a
charge of any kind for a class in English and citizenship or a
class in an elementary subject, nor for any class which is
designated as granting high school credit when the class is
taken by a person who does not hold a high school diploma.
However, current law temporarily grants the authority to
districts to charge a fee for a class in English and
citizenship until July 1, 2015.
4.Prohibits the CCCs from requiring an adult enrolled in a
noncredit course to pay nonresident tuition or any fee or
charge of any kind for a class in English and citizenship for
foreigners, a class in an elementary subject, a class
designated by the governing board as a class for which high
school credit is granted when the class is taken by a person
who does not hold a high school diploma, or any class offered
by a CCD, as specified.
This bill:
1.Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) and the
CCC Chancellor's Office to:
A. Coordinate and issue assessment policy guidelines to be
used by the CCC and K-12 districts for purposes of
placement in an adult education course.
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B. Jointly establish and implement a comprehensive
performance accountability system for adult education
courses, as specified.
1.Reduces the categories of adult education courses for which
state funding may be claimed in both the K-12 system and the
community college system from 10 to six. More specifically,
it:
A. Deletes the authority to claim adult education funding
for adult programs in parenting, adult programs for older
adults, and adult programs in home economics and adult
programs in health and safety education.
B. Maintains six categories of state-supported adult
education (K-12) and non-credit adult education courses at
the community college including, elementary and secondary
basic skills and other courses required for a high school
diploma, English as a second language classes and courses
for immigrants eligible for educational services, as
specified, education programs for adults with disabilities,
short-term career technical education programs with high
employment potential, and programs for apprentices.
1.Authorizes the governing board of a CCD to charge a fee for
adult education courses, pursuant to regulations adopted by
the Board of Governors.
A. Requires a CCD that chooses to charge a fee for adult
education courses to report information on the amount of
the fee, the number of classes, and enrollment in those
classes to the Chancellor's Office for purposes of
providing the information to the Legislative Analyst's
Office (LAO).
B. Requires the LAO to provide a summary and analysis of
the reported information to the appropriate legislative
fiscal and policy committees by January 1, 2016.
1.Requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the
Academic Senate for the CCCs to meet and review their current
requirements for adult education instructors and to develop
and make recommendations on reciprocity standards to specified
legislative policy and fiscal committees by July 1, 2014.
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2.Declares the Legislature's intent that beginning in 2015-16
base adult education funds and noncredit adult education funds
be allocated to providers on the basis of a combination of
enrollment and performance in statutorily authorized adult
education courses.
Comments
According to Senate Education Committee, the LAO, in its
December 2012 report, Restructuring California's Adult Education
System, identified several weaknesses with the current adult
education system, a bifurcated system in which both K-12 and
CCCs offer courses subject to distinctly different policies.
Similar findings were identified in a series of reports prepared
by the California Budget Project (At a Crossroads series
publications, April 2010 - May 2011).
LAO recommendations to address these weaknesses included the
creation of:
1.A state-subsidized system focused on adult education's core
mission.
2.Common, statewide definitions that clearly differentiate
between adult education and college education.
3.A common set of policies relating to faculty qualifications,
fees, and student assessment.
4.A dedicated stream of funding that fosters cooperation between
adult schools and community colleges.
5.An integrated data system that tracks student outcomes and
helps the public hold providers accountable for results.
This bill begins the implementation of programmatic changes
necessary to better align the bifurcated system of delivering
adult education and non-credit adult education courses, and to
begin a shift towards a more rational and coordinated funding
approach for K-12 adult education and CCC noncredit adult
education programs in California.
Related budget activity . The Governor's 2013-14 Budget proposes
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a number of changes to adult education in California beginning
in 2013-14. These changes include elements that:
1.Eliminate the K-12 adult education categorical program and
consolidate all associated annual funding into a new K-12
"local control funding formula."
2.Appropriate $300 million in new Proposition 98 General Fund to
reconstitute the adult education program within the community
college system beginning in 2013-14 (the Governor's proposal
currently restricts community college apportionments to
"credit" instruction).
3.Shift $15.7 million from a K-12 apprenticeship program to a
new community college program.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, provisions of
this bill create new costs and new savings for the state. The
realization of savings in certain provisions does not depend
upon incurring the costs in other provisions of this bill.
Prohibit apportionment for certain course types: Annual
state savings in excess of $26 million. Local cost
pressure on CCCs to continue to offer the courses.
Coordinate and issue assessment policy guidelines:
Potentially significant up-front costs and ongoing workload
for the CCC Chancellor's Office and CDE to meet the
coordination and reporting requirements.
Implement comprehensive accountability system:
Potentially substantial costs to implement the new system
and monitor compliance and progress. The CCC currently
collects adult education data for a portion of the programs
through a $1 million contract. This bill expands those
costs, to an extent to be determined by the accountability
system that the CDE and CCC Chancellor's office jointly
develop.
Reciprocity standards: Significant costs, likely in the
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low hundreds of thousands, for the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing and the Academic Senate for CCCs to jointly
develop and submit recommendations for modifying or
establishing reciprocity standards for instructors of adult
education.
Fee authority: Potentially significant revenue for CCDs
that choose to charge allowable fees.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/28/13)
Association of California School Administrators
OPPOSITION : (Verified 5/28/13)
Association of California Community Colleges
California Federation of Teachers
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
PQ:ej 5/28/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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