Senate Bill No. 397

Introduced by Senator Block

February 20, 2013

An act to add and repeal Section 78016.7 of the Education Code, relating to the California Community Colleges.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 397, as introduced, Block. The California Community Colleges: veterans education pilot program.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a voluntary pilot program, until January 1, 2018, to identify, explore, and develop best practices for statewide policy on credit for experiential learning for veterans for career technical education course credit, certificates, and associate degrees. The bill would require the chancellor to consider specified information to select no more than 3 to 5 applicant campuses to participate in the pilot program. The bill would require participating community college districts to report specified information to the Office of the Chancellor, which would be required to provide that information to the Legislative Analyst’s Office by July 1, 2017. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to use this information to provide a report to the Legislature, by December 1, 2017, that assesses the pilot program’s effect on student veterans’ success in reaching their educational goals, as specified.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 78016.7 is added to the Education Code,
to read:

78016.7.  

(a) The Office of the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges shall establish a voluntary pilot program to
identify, explore, and develop best practices for a statewide policy
on awarding credit for experiential learning for veterans for career
technical education course credit, certificates, and associate
degrees.

(b) The governing board of a community college district may
apply for a campus within its district to be selected to participate
in the pilot program, and the chancellor shall select no more than
three to five of those campuses to participate in the pilot program.
In selecting campuses for the pilot program, the chancellor shall
consider all of the following:

(1) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity
of students attending the campus.

(2) The percentage of veterans on the campus and the campus’
existing veteran services and programs.

(3) The community college district’s program and planning
capacity.

(4) The potential for support from funding partners in industry,
the military, labor, or other private funding sources to reduce the
cost of attendance for students participating in the pilot program.

(5) The community college district’s plan to recognize federal
training and education and to identify innovative options for
expediting the attainment of degree and certificate goals by
veterans.

(c) The pilot program shall use resources and strategies, which
include, but are not limited to, the American Council on
Education’s guidelines and recommendations, partnerships between
the community college district and branches of the Armed Forces
of the United States that facilitate the transition of veterans into
workforce partnership jobs, course offerings that maximize the
awarding of credit to complete academic requirements, and
stackable credential programs, to determine the value of a veteran’s
prior professional military training, education, and experience.

(d) Career technical education course credit and certificates for
the pilot program may include credit earned as a result of prior
military service.

(e)  For purposes of the pilot program, the governing board of
a community college district may approve credit courses that are
not part of an approved educational program for a campus that
participates in the pilot program, in accordance with Section 70901,
for the duration of the pilot program.

(f) Community college districts participating in the pilot program
shall report all of the following information to the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, which shall
provide this information to the Legislative Analyst’s Office on or
before July 1, 2017:

(1) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity
of students participating in the pilot program.

(2) Summary statistics on enrollment, financing sources,
completion rates, and credit granted for prior learning experience
for the pilot program.

(g) (1) On or before December 1, 2017, the Legislative
Analyst’s Office shall provide a report to the Legislature that
assesses the pilot program’s effect on student veterans’ success in
reaching their educational goals using information provided
pursuant to subdivision (f). In preparing this report, the Legislative
Analyst’s Office may draw upon campus reports; campus visits;
interviews with faculty, students, and administrators; and other
sources the Legislative Analyst’s Office deems relevant. The report
shall include all of the following:

(A) An identification of best practices that emerge from the
pilot program that the Legislature may want to consider for
statewide policy regarding credit for experiential learning for
veterans.

(B) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity
of students participating in the pilot program.

(C) Summary statistics on enrollment, financing sources,
completion rates, and credit granted for prior learning experience
for the pilot program.

(D) An assessment of the pilot program’s effect on student
veterans’ success in reaching their educational goals.

(E) Recommendations regarding the extension, expansion, or
modification of the pilot program.

(2) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2018,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends that date.