BILL NUMBER: SB 850 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 1, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 10, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator Block
(Principal coauthor: Senator Hill)
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Beall, Correa, Hueso,
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 would, commencing January
1, 2015, authorize the board of governors, in consultation with
the California State University and the University of California, to
establish a statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program
at not more than 20 15 community
college districts, to be determined by the chancellor and approved by
the board of governors, which would authorize each participating
campus within the district to offer one type of
baccalaureate degree, degree at one campus
within the district, as specified. The bill would require a
district baccalaureate degree pilot program to
expire 8 years after the establishment of the program.
commence by the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, and would
require a student participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot
program to complete his or degree by the end of the 2022-23 academic
year. The bill would require a participating
community college district districts
to meet specified requirements, including, but not limited to,
offering baccalaureate degrees not offered by the California
State University or the University of California, and in
subject areas with unmet workforce needs, as specified, and
submitting a report to the 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. specified.
This bill would also require the governing board of a
participating community college district to submit certain
information for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of
governors, including the proposed governance system of
administrative plan for the baccalaureate degree
pilot program, and would authorize the governing board of 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.
program. The bill would provide that the Department of Finance and
the Legislative Analyst's Office shall jointly conduct a
statewide evaluation of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot
program implemented under this article, as specified, and to report
the results of the evaluation, in writing, to the Legislature and the
Governor on or before July 1, 2021. The bill would provide
that the board of governors shall develop , and adopt by
regulation , a funding model for the support of the
statewide baccalaureate degree pilot programs,
program as specified.
This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2023,
and would repeal the provisions on January 1, 2024.
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 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 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 these programs
unnecessarily duplicate similar programs offered by nearby public
four-year institutions.
(f) Community colleges can provide a quality baccalaureate
education 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 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 purposes of this article, "district" means any
community college district identified by the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges as participating in the statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot program. Each participating
district may establish one baccalaureate degree pilot
programs program pursuant to Section
78041.
78041. Notwithstanding Section 66010.4, and commencing
January 1, 2015, the 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 district baccalaureate degree pilot
programs that meet all of the eligibility requirements set forth in
Section 78042. A district pilot program established
pursuant to this section shall expire eight years after the
establishment of the program. article shall commence
no later than the 2017-18 academic year. A student participating in a
baccalaureate pilot program shall complete his or her degree by the
end of the 2022-23 academic year. For purposes of this section,
a pilot program is established commences
when the first class of students begins the program. The
statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program shall consist of a
maximum of twenty fifteen districts,
to be determined by the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and authorized by the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges.
78042. (a) A district shall seek approval to offer a
baccalaureate degree programs program
through the appropriate accreditation body.
(b) 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) A district shall not offer more than one type of baccalaureate
degree per campus, degree, 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) A district shall identify and document unmet workforce needs
in the subject areas area of the
baccalaureate degrees degree to be
offered and offer a baccalaureate degree at a campus in a subject
area with unmet workforce needs in the local community or region of
the district.
(2) A baccalaureate degree pilot program shall not
duplicate similar programs offered by public postsecondary
educational institutions, unless approved by the Chancellor of the
California State University. offer a baccalaureate
degree already offered by the California State University or the
University of California.
(3) A district shall have the expertise, resources, and student
interest to offer a quality baccalaureate degree in the chosen field
of study.
(4) A district shall not offer a baccalaureate degree at more than
one campus within the district.
(5) A district shall notify a student who applies to the district'
s baccalaureate degree pilot program that the student is required to
complete his or her baccalaureate degree by the end of the 2022-23
academic year, as specified in Section 78041.
(d) 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) 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) The proposed governance system
administrative plan for the baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(2) The baccalaureate degree pilot program's curriculum, faculty,
and facilities.
(3) The level of matriculation for students enrolled in a
enrollment projections for the baccalaureate
degree pilot program.
(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 statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot programs program
that is based on a calculation of the number of full-time
equivalent students enrolled in the district pilot
programs.
(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 a
baccalaureate degree pilot programs program
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
a baccalaureate degree pilot programs
program 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. Fees for lower
division coursework in a baccalaureate degree pilot program shall not
exceed the fees for other lower division coursework offered by the
California Community Colleges.
(g) The governing board of a district may enter into agreements
with local businesses and agencies to provide educational services to
students participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(h) 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 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 at California State
University or University of California 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.
(g) (1) The Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst's
Office shall jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot program implemented under this article.
The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, to the
Legislature and the Governor on or before July 1, 2021. The
evaluation required by this section shall consider all of the
following:
(A) The number of new district baccalaureate degree pilot programs
implemented, including information identifying the number of new
programs, applicants, admissions, enrollments, and degree recipients.
(B) The extent to which the baccalaureate degree pilot programs
established under this article are fulfilling identified needs for
new baccalaureate degree programs, including statewide supply and
demand data that considers capacity at the California State
University, the University of California, and in California's
independent colleges and universities.
(C) Information on the place of employment of students and the
subsequent job placement of graduates.
(D) Baccalaureate degree program costs and the funding sources
that were used to finance these programs, including a calculation of
cost per degree awarded.
(E) The costs of the baccalaureate degree programs to students,
the amount of financial aid offered, and student debt levels of
graduates of the programs.
(F) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for the
baccalaureate degree pilot programs.
(G) The extent to which the programs established under this
article are in compliance with the requirements of this article.
(2) A district shall submit the information necessary to conduct
the evaluation require by paragraph (1), as determined by the
evaluators, to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges,
who shall provide the information to the evaluators upon request.
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
78043. This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2023, and
as January 1, 2024, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that
is enacted before January 1, 2024 deletes or extends that date.