BILL NUMBER: SB 850 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 10, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator Block
( Principal coauthor: Senator
Hill )
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson
and Hill Anderson,
Beall, Correa, Lara, Roth,
Torres, Vidak, and Wyland )
( Coauthor: Assembly Member
Chávez )
JANUARY 9, 2014
An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 78040) to Chapter
1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
relating to public postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 850, as amended, Block. Public postsecondary education:
community college districts: baccalaureate degree 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 requires the board of
governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as
the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. 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.
Existing law requires community colleges to offer instruction
through, but not beyond, the 2nd year of college and authorizes
community colleges to grant associate degrees in arts and science.
This bill would authorize the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges board of governors, in
consultation with the California State University and the University
of California, to authorize the establishment of one
establish a baccalaureate degree pilot program
per campus per district. The bill would provide that the
baccalaureate degree pilot program shall consist of a limited number
of campuses, at not more than 20 community college
districts, to be determined by the Chancellor.
chancellor and approved by the board of governors,
which would authorize each participating campus within the district
to offer one type of baccalaureate degree, as specified. The
bill would require a baccalaureate degree pilot program to expire 8
years after the establishment of the program. The bill would require
a participating community college district to meet
specified requirements, including, but not limited to, offering
baccalaureate degrees in a limited number of fields of
study, subject areas with unmet workforce needs, as
specified, and submitting a report to the Legislature
chancellor at least one year prior to the
expiration of the baccalaureate degree pilot program or one year
after the first graduating class, whichever occurs first, that
would evaluate specified factors.
This bill would also require the governing board of a
participating community college district to
perform certain functions submit certain information
for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of
governors, including the proposed governance system of the
baccalaureate degree pilot program, and would
authorize the governing board to charge baccalaureate degree-seeking
students a fee for enrollment in specified courses, which would be
required to be expended for the purpose of providing a pilot program.
The bill would authorize the governing board of
the a community college district to enter into
agreements with local businesses and agencies to provide educational
services to students participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot
program. The bill would provide that the board of governors
shall develop and adopt by regulation a funding model for the support
of the baccalaureate degree pilot programs, 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. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) California needs to produce one million more baccalaureate
degrees than the state currently does
produces to remain economically competitive in the coming
decades.
(b) The 21st century workplace increasingly demands a higher level
of education in applied fields.
(c) There is demand for education beyond the associate degree
level in specific academic disciplines that is not currently being
met by California's four-year public institutions.
(d) Community colleges can help fill the gaps in our higher
education system by granting baccalaureate degrees for
in a limited number of specific areas in order
to meet a growing demand for a skilled workforce.
(e) These baccalaureate programs will be limited and will not
in any way detract from the community colleges'
traditional mission to advance California's economic growth and
global competitiveness through education, training, and services
that contribute to continuous workforce improvement, nor will
the these programs unnecessarily
duplicate similar programs offered by nearby public
four-year institutions.
(f) Community colleges can provide a quality baccalaureate
education with lower costs to their students than a
traditional four-year university, to their students,
enabling place-bound local students and military veterans
the opportunity to earn the baccalaureate degree needed for new
job opportunities and promotion.
(g) Twenty-one other states, from Florida to Hawaii, already allow
their community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. California
is one of the most innovative states in the nation, and the
California Community Colleges will use that same innovative spirit to
produce more health, biotechnology, and other needed
professionals. professionals in health, biotechnology,
public safety, and other needed fields.
SEC. 2. Article 3 (commencing with Section 78040) is added to
Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
to read:
Article 3. Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program
78040. For the purposes of this article,
"district" means any community college district identified by the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges as participating in
the baccalaureate degree pilot program. Each district may establish
baccalaureate degree pilot programs pursuant to Section 78041.
78041. Notwithstanding Section 66010.4, the Chancellor
of the California Community Colleges Board of
Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with
the California State University and the University of California,
may authorize the establishment of baccalaureate degree pilot
programs that meet all of the eligibility requirements set forth in
Section 78042. A pilot program established pursuant to this section
shall expire eight years after the establishment of the program. For
purposes of this section, a pilot program is established when the
first class of students begins the program. The baccalaureate degree
pilot program shall consist of a limited number of campuses,
maximum of twenty districts, to be determined
by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
Colleges and authorized by the Board of Governors of
the California Community Colleges.
78042. (a) The A district shall
seek authorization approval to offer
baccalaureate degree programs through the appropriate accreditation
body.
(b) The When seeking
authorization from the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges, a district shall maintain the primary mission of the
California Community Colleges specified in paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) of Section 66010.4. The district, as part of the
baccalaureate degree pilot program, shall have the additional mission
to provide high-quality undergraduate education at an affordable
price for students and the state.
(c) The A district shall not
offer more than one type of baccalaureate
degree per campus in a limited number of fields of study
subject to the following requirements, as determined by the governing
board of the district: , as determined by the
governing board of the district and approved by the Governing Board
of the California Community Colleges, and subject to the following
limitations:
(1) The A district shall identify
and document unmet workforce needs in the subject areas of the
baccalaureate degrees to be offered and offer a
baccalaureate degrees degree at a campus
in those a subject areas
possessing area with unmet workforce needs in
the local community. community or region of
the district.
(2) The A baccalaureate degree pilot
program shall not unnecessarily duplicate similar
programs offered by nearby public postsecondary
educational institutions. institutions,
unless approved by the Chancellor of the California State University.
(3) The A district shall
have the expertise, resources, and student interest to offer a
quality baccalaureate degree in the chosen field of study.
(d) The A district shall maintain
separate records for students who are enrolled in courses classified
in the upper division and lower division of a baccalaureate program.
A student shall be reported as a community college student for
enrollment in a lower division course and as a baccalaureate degree
program student for enrollment in an upper division course.
(e) The governing board of the district shall do all of the
following:
(e) A governing board of a district seeking authorization to offer
a baccalaureate degree pilot program shall submit all of the
following for review by the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and approval by the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges:
(1) Determine the appropriate The proposed
governance system for the baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(2) Make decisions regarding the The
baccalaureate degree pilot program's curriculum, faculty, and
facilities.
(3) Establish the level of matriculation, tuition, and
other appropriate costs The level of matriculation
for students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program.
(f) (1) The governing board of the district may charge
baccalaureate degree-seeking students a fee, of an amount to be
determined by the governing board, that covers the additional costs
imposed by providing a baccalaureate degree pilot program, for
enrollment in courses that are not transfer core curriculum courses,
as defined in Section 66720.
(f) (1) The Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges shall develop and adopt by regulation a funding model for
the support of the baccalaureate degree pilot programs that is based
on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent students
enrolled in the pilot programs.
(2) All fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
deposited in the designated fund of the district in accordance with
the California Community Colleges Budget and Accounting Manual, and
shall be expended for the purpose of providing a baccalaureate degree
pilot program.
(2) Funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at an
agreed upon marginal cost calculation that shall not exceed the
California State Universities marginal cost calculation.
(3) Each student in the baccalaureate degree pilot programs
authorized by this article shall not be charged fees higher than the
mandatory systemwide fees charged for baccalaureate degree programs
at the California State University.
(4) Fees for upper division coursework in the baccalaureate degree
pilot programs shall be set and approved by the Legislature in a
manner consistent with the setting of fees for lower division
coursework at the California community colleges.
(g) The governing board of the a
district may enter into agreements with local businesses and agencies
to provide educational services to students participating in
the a baccalaureate degree pilot
program.
(h) The district shall submit a report to the Legislature
A district that received authorization to offer a
baccalaureate degree pilot program shall submit a report to the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges at least one
year prior to the expiration of the baccalaureate degree pilot
program pursuant to Section 78041. 78041 or
one year after the first graduating class of the baccalaureate degree
pilot program , whichever occurs first. The report
shall examine the success of the baccalaureate degree pilot program
by evaluating all of the following factors:
(1) The percentage of students who complete a baccalaureate
degree, calculated by dividing the number of students who graduate
from the baccalaureate degree pilot program by the number of students
who enrolled in the program.
(2) The extent to which the baccalaureate degree pilot program is
self-supporting, such that the student fees charged pursuant to
subdivision (f) cover the costs of the program.
(3) Whether there is a problem with finding and paying instructors
for the baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(4) Whether there was a decline in enrollment in the
at California State University and the
or University of California as a
campuses in the regions served by the district as a
direct result of the baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(5) The number of students who received jobs in the area in the
field of study of their baccalaureate degree.
(6) The amount of student fees charged pursuant to subdivision (f)
compared to the amount of student fees charged for courses at the
California State University and the University of California.
(i) A report submitted pursuant to subdivision (h) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.