BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 730
AUTHOR: Hancock
AMENDED: April 17, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 24, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Daniel Alvarez
SUBJECT : School districts: pupil attendance at community
college.
SUMMARY
This bill (1) authorizes the governing board of a community
college district to enter into a partnership agreement with a
school district(s) within the service area of the community
college district in order to provide high school pupils with
broad course offerings, as specified; (2) exempts these
students from paying required community college fees
irrespective of the number of units taken; and (3) authorizes
a community college to assign these students enrollment
priority.
BACKGROUND
Current law authorizes the establishment of middle college
high schools. The goal of the middle college high school is to
select at-risk students who are performing below their
academic potential and place them in an alternative high
school located on a community college, in order to reduce the
likelihood of dropping out. The specific design of a middle
college high school may vary depending on the circumstances of
the community college or school district. The basic elements
of the middle college high school shall include, but not be
limited to, the following:
1) A curriculum that focuses on college and career
preparation.
2) A reduced adult-student ratio.
3) Flexible scheduling to allow for work internships,
community service experience, and interaction with
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community college student role models.
4) Opportunities for experiential internships, work
apprenticeships, and community service. (EC � 11300 et
seq.)
Current law authorizes the governing board of a community
college district to admit K-12 students as special part-time
or full-time students in any session or term any student who
is eligible to attend community college pursuant to
EC 48800, and generally requires that these students be
assigned a low enrollment priority in order to ensure that
these students do not displace regularly admitted students.
(EC � 76001)
Current law requires the governing board of each community
college district to charge each student an enrollment fee,
currently $46 per unit per semester effective with the summer
term of the 2012 calendar year. Current law authorizes the
governing board of a community college district (CCD) to
exempt special part-time students admitted pursuant to Section
76001 from the fee requirement.
(EC � 76300).
ANALYSIS
This bill (1) authorizes the governing board of a community
college district to enter into a partnership agreement with a
school district(s) within the service area of the community
college district in order to provide high school pupils with
broad course offerings, as specified; (2) exempts these
students from paying required community college fees
irrespective of the number of units taken; and (3) authorizes
a community college to assign these students enrollment
priority. More specifically, this bill:
1) Authorizes the governing board of a community college
district to enter into a partnership agreement with a
school district(s) within the service area of the
community college district in order to provide high
school pupils with the opportunity to benefit from
courses such as, but limited to: advanced scholastic
courses, career-technical pathway courses, basic skills
remediation courses, high school exit examination
preparation, college preparation, and English as a second
language course.
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2) Requires the partnership agreement to outline the scope
and nature of the partnership as a contract education
program or other cohort program.
3) Authorizes the community college participating in a
partnership program to exempt special part-time or
full-time students, taking more than 11 units per
semester, from paying required California Community
College fees.
4) Authorizes the governing board of community college
participating in a partnership agreement to assign a
higher priority to a student participating in a
partnership program if the course is required for the
student's program of study.
5) Permits a community college to admit as a special
part-time or full-time student any student attending
under a "partnership agreement."
STAFF COMMENTS
1) According to the author's office , this bill addresses
barriers to course credit accumulation for high school
students in concurrent enrollment programs that focus on
the achievement of both a high school diploma and an AA
degree.
2) Unclear on why the Middle College or Early College high
school approaches are deficient. This bill creates a new
cohort or contract program that is not dissimilar to a
middle college high school approach. Current law provides
for middle college high schools, as specified, where
pupils are concurrently enrolled in both high school and
a community college.
In addition, Early College High Schools (ECHSs) were
first established in 2002 through the national Early
College High School Initiative. ECHSs now serve pupils
in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Currently
there are approximately 41 ECHSs in California. The
schools are designed so that low-income youth,
first-generation college goers, English language
learners, students of color, and other young people
underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously
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earn a high school diploma and an Associate's degree or
up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor's degree.
Programs operate as partnerships between the school and a
college and are designed so that pupils can attain a high
school diploma and earn two years of college credit
within five years of entering the ninth grade. Learning
takes place in a personalized environment, where rigorous
work is demanded and supported.
ECHSs differ from middle college high schools in that the
latter are located on college campuses and involve more
college-level coursework.
3) Partnership agreements and funding . This bill requires a
partnership agreement to outline the scope and nature of
the partnership as a contract education program or other
cohort program. Contract education in the context of
community colleges means those situations in which a
community college district contracts with a public or
private entity for the purposes of providing instruction
or services or both. Is the intent to have school
districts reimburse of costs? In order to maintain
fiscal integrity of any partnership, staff recommends an
amendment specifying that any partnership agreement must
adhere to Education Code section 78021 related to
recovery of costs.
4) Clarification to partnership agreements . Staff
recommends an amendment to clarify that a K-12 student's
participation in any community college courses offered
through a partnership agreement can only occur if upon
notification of their principal, that the student has
exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent
course at the high school or any other program offered by
the school district governing board and require students
younger than 18 years of age to obtain parental consent.
5) Lifting of student fee cap . The author argues the
current 11 unit cap limits the amount of course credit
these students can take, putting them at a disadvantage
for earning enough course credit to earn an AA degree
upon graduation from a "partnership program" and that
waiving the fee is the only option. If the students, by
design are not paying CCC fees, and according to
information provided by the author the high school cannot
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or will not pay an additional CCC fees, which entity is
ultimately responsible for the costs?
6) Current status of community colleges . According to a
March 2013 study by the Public Policy Institute of
California (PPIC), The Impact of Budget Cuts on
California Community Colleges, the unprecedented budget
cuts faced by community colleges in the recent
recessionary period have resulted in reduced course
offerings, increases in class size, and consistent
declines in enrollment among first-time students.
Although researchers found evidence that colleges have
responded by targeting their spending toward
higher-priority missions, the current fiscal climate has
still resulted in a failure to serve adults and access
has been compromised.
Given the failure to effectively serve adults in the
state, is this the time to expand the ability of
community college districts (CCDs) to claim FTES for
serving high school students (arguably a lower priority
mission)? In addition, this bill would allow CCDs to
assign an enrollment priority for high school pupils in a
concurrent enrollment partnership programs.
Further, given the current fiscal condition of both K-12
and CCDs, should there be a requirement that both K-12
and CCDs make decisions about undertaking a partnership
in an open process to ensure that parents, staff, and the
community are involved and the sufficient opportunity for
comments is provided in a public meeting? Staff
recommends an amendment "requiring prior adoption of a
partnership agreement, a participating community college
district and participating school district shall
separately, as a condition of entering into a
partnership, at a regularly scheduled open public
hearing/meeting of their respective governing boards
shall take testimony from the public to discuss, approve
or disapprove the proposed partnership agreement."
7) Prior legislation . Chapter 633, Statutes of 2011 (SB 650,
Lowenthal) enacted the College Promise Partnership Act,
and authorized the Long Beach Community College District
(LBCCD) and the Long Beach Unified School District to
enter into a partnership, as specified, to provide
participating pupils with an aligned sequence of rigorous
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high school coursework leading to capstone college
courses, as defined, with consistent and jointly
established eligibility for college courses. The bill
would authorize the governing board of the LBCCD
community college to admit specified students, with
parental permission, to any community college under its
jurisdiction as a special part-time or full-time student
pursuant to the act, and to assign priority for
enrollment and course registration to certain students.
SUPPORT
Peralta Community College District
Los Rios Community College District
San Diego Community College District
Yosemite Community College District
OPPOSITION
None on file.