BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
SB 897 (Steinberg) - Adult Education Programs: Competitive
Grants
Amended: April 3, 2014 Policy Vote: Education 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: April 28, 2014
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 897 modifies the requirements established for
participation in the California Career Pathways Trust and Adult
Education Consortium programs, and makes clarifying and
technical changes. This bill also requires that the
Instructional Quality Committee (IQC), upon the next revision of
the history-social science framework, consider whether and how
to incorporate the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3)
Framework for Social Studies State Standards into the framework.
This bill further requires that specified adult education
courses distribute basic information about American Government
and civics, as specified.
Fiscal Impact:
Codify California Career Pathways Trust Program:
Substantial ongoing cost pressure to continue permanent
funding for a program that has received a one-time Budget
Act appropriation of $250 million.
Distribute information: Potentially significant local to
the CCCs and school districts to distribute basic civics
information to students in every adult education course for
elementary and secondary basic skills, classes for
immigrants in citizenship and ESL and workforce preparation
classes.
C3 framework: Very minor costs for the IQC to consider
whether and how to incorporate the C3 framework into the
history-social science framework during its next regular
revision. If that consideration results in substantive
changes to the current revision, which will not be completed
before this bill takes effect, it could drive new CDE costs
of $75,000. If the requirements are interpreted to apply to
future revisions (sometime after the revision already near
SB 897 (Steinberg)
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completion), costs will likely be very minor.
Background: Last year, AB 86 (Committee on Budget) Ch. 48/2013
was adopted as part of the 2013-14 Governor's Budget. That bill
established, among other things, the Adult Education Consortium
Program and the California Career Pathways Trust. The California
Career Pathways Trust provides $250 million for school
districts, county superintendents of school, charter schools,
and community college districts (CCDs) in the form of one-time
competitive grants for K-14 career pathways programs.
The requirements of AB 86 are being jointly implemented by the
California Department of Education (CDE) and the California
Community College (CCC) Chancellor's Office. Eligibility for the
planning grant funds is limited to consortia consisting of at
least one CCD and at least one school district within the
boundaries of a CCD. Consortia may include other entities
providing adult education courses, such as correctional
facilities, other local public entities and community-based
organizations. The planning grants must be used to create and
implement a plan to better provide adults in its region with all
of the following:
Elementary and secondary basic skills, including classes
required for a high school diploma or high school
equivalency certificate.
Classes and courses for immigrants eligible for
educational services in citizenship and English as a second
language, and workforce preparation classes in basic
skills.
Education programs for adults with disabilities.
Short-term career technical education programs with high
employment potential.
Programs for apprentices.
The CCC Chancellor and the CDE are required to submit a joint
status report on the plans submitted by consortia and
recommendations for improvements in the delivery system serving
adult learners by March 1, 2014, with a final report by March 1,
2015.
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(Education Code § 84830)
Proposed Law: This bill replaces the provisions providing for
the use of funds apportioned in the Budget Act for purposes of
establishing the California Career Pathways Trust with codified
provisions, and clarifies that, "business entities" include
public sector entities.
This bill requires the IQC, upon the next revision of the
history-social science framework, to consider whether and how to
incorporate the C3 Framework into the history-social science
framework.
This bill also requires that the adult education courses for
elementary and secondary basic skills, including classes
required for a high school diploma or high school equivalency
certificate, and classes for immigrants in citizenship and ESL
and workforce preparation classes in basic skills, which are
delivered via the consortia distribute basic information about
American Government and civics, as specified.
New requirements on the specified adult education courses would
apply to any funding provided to the regional consortia
beginning with the fiscal year 2015-16 and in future fiscal
years.
Staff Comments: This bill codifies the California Career
Pathways Trust Program in statute, establishing it as an
education program beyond the single year of funding provided in
the 2013 Budget Act. Establishing the program in statute will
create substantial cost pressure to continue permanent funding
for the grant program.
This bill's requirements on CCCs and school districts which
offer adult education to distribute basic civics information to
students in every adult education course for elementary and
secondary basic skills, classes for immigrants in citizenship
and ESL and workforce preparation classes, could drive
significant local costs to CCCs and school districts which offer
those courses. Because they are not required to offer the
courses, CCCs and school districts will not be eligible for
state reimbursement, but they will have to use a portion of
their adult education funds for this new purpose. Costs could be
reduced by (either a state or local educational agency) creating
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a set of materials to share electronically with other providers
of adult education courses.
The cost of requiring the IQC to consider whether and how to
incorporate the C3 framework into the history-social science
framework during its next regular revision depends on what is
meant by "next regular revision." The history-social science
framework was last adopted in 2005. The processes for reviewing
frameworks and adopting instructional materials have been
suspended since July 2009, due to budget constraints. At the
time of the suspension, a review of the history-social science
framework was nearly complete. Since the suspension, the CDE has
ceased work on the review and update. The State Board of
Education is specifically prohibited from reviewing frameworks
and adopting instructional materials until the 2015-16 school
year. Once work continues on the existing revision, it is
unclear whether this bill would apply to the nearly-complete
revision, or to any subsequent revision.
If it applies to, and results in substantive changes to the
current revision, it could drive new CDE costs of $75,000. If
the requirements are interpreted to apply to future revisions,
costs will likely be very minor.