SB 1023, as introduced, Liu. Community colleges: foster youth.
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 throughout the state, and authorizes them to operate campuses and provide instruction.
This bill would authorize the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges, in cooperation with the State Department of Social Services and county child welfare agencies, to enter into agreements with community college districts to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for foster youth through a program to assemble and coordinate cooperating agency resources. The bill would provide that these support services include, but are not necessarily limited to, child care and transportation allowances, allowances for books and supplies, counseling and mental health services, career counseling, matriculation and transfer counseling, monitoring of academic progress, tutoring and mentoring, independent living skills support, housing assistance, frequent in-person contact, and other related services.
The bill would authorize community college districts to apply to the board of governors for funding under the bill, as specified. The bill would require that a participating student be a current or former foster youth in California whose dependency was established by the court on or after the student’s 16th birthday, be no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of any academic year in which he or she participates in the program, and be enrolled for at least 9 units per semester.
The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that, consistent with specified requirements in the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, and to the extent that a participating community college meets specified responsibilities set forth in that act, any student who participates in the program established by this bill may also receive specified matriculation services under that act.
The bill would require the board of governors to submit a biennial report, commencing no later than January 31, 2017, and no later than January 31 of each odd-numbered year thereafter, providing prescribed information about this program.
The bill would be operative in a fiscal year only if the board of governors certifies, pursuant to a resolution, that sufficient funds have been appropriated for purposes of the bill for that fiscal year.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) There are 57,000 children and youth in California’s foster
4care system who have been removed from their biological families
5due to maltreatment and placed into the care and custody of the
6State of California.
7(b) The Legislature recognizes the historic underrepresentation
8of foster youth in postsecondary programs and the need for
9equitable efforts that enhance the enrollment and retention of foster
10youth in public colleges and universities in California.
11(1) By 21 years of age, 45 percent of former foster youth will
12graduate from high school, as
compared to 80 percent of
13Californians of the same age. By 26 years of age, 4.4 percent of
14foster youth will receive a two-year degree and 3.8 percent will
P3 1earn a four-year degree, rates significantly below the same-age
2population in California.
3(2) Low educational attainment is a factor in the poor adult
4outcomes experienced by youth in foster care. Compared to their
5same-age counterparts, former foster youth at 26 years of age are
6400 percent more likely to have been incarcerated and 300 percent
7more likely to be living below the federal poverty level.
8(3) Current and former foster youth who attend community
9college experience a low rate of persistence, transfer, and degree
10completion. Only 41 percent of current and former foster youth in
11community college persisted at least one year as compared to 62
12percent of the general student population.
13(c) The Legislature recognizes its responsibility to provide and
14adequately fund postsecondary programs and services for students
15who are current and former foster youth attending public
16postsecondary institutions.
17(d) Therefore, it is necessary and appropriate to take steps to
18encourage the enrollment, retention, and transfer of current and
19former foster youth in California’s community colleges by
20establishing an education program that provides services that
21promote their academic success. Providing academic support to
22current and former foster youth in California’s community colleges
23serves a significant governmental and public interest, namely the
24reduction in poverty and criminal justice involvement among youth
25who have been in foster care in California.
Article 4.3 (commencing with Section 79156) is added
27to Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education
28Code, to read:
29
The Chancellor’s Office of the California Community
34Colleges, in cooperation with the State Department of Social
35Services and county child welfare agencies, may enter into
36agreements with community college districts to provide additional
37funds for services in support of postsecondary education for foster
38youth through a program to assemble and coordinate cooperating
39agency resources. This program shall be known as the cooperating
40agencies foster youth educational support program. Support
P4 1services shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, child care
2and transportation allowances, allowances for books and supplies,
3counseling and mental health services, career counseling,
4matriculation and transfer counseling, monitoring of academic
5progress, tutoring and mentoring, independent living skills support,
6housing assistance,
frequent in-person contact, and other related
7services.
A community college district may apply to the board
9of governors for funding pursuant to this article. The application
10of each participating community college district shall demonstrate
11that all existing district resources reasonably available have been
12exhausted, and shall provide the number of foster youth who will
13be served. The application shall also describe the extent of
14cooperation between the local county child welfare department,
15the State Department of Social Services, the local educational
16opportunity programs and services program, and the district.
A student participant in this program shall meet both
18of the following requirements:
19(a) Be a current or former foster youth in California whose
20dependency was established by the court on or after the youth’s
2116th birthday.
22(b) Be no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of
23any academic year in which he or she participates in the program.
Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 56220 of
25Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the chancellor may
26authorize students who are enrolled for at least nine units per
27semester to participate in this program.
It is the intent of the Legislature that, consistent with
29the requirements and intent outlined in subdivisions (b) and (c) of
30Section 78215, and to the extent that a participating community
31college meets the responsibilities outlined in paragraph (2) of
32subdivision (a) of Section 78212, any student who participates in
33the program pursuant to this article may participate in the program
34of services outlined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section
3578212.
The board of governors, in conjunction with the State
37Department of Social Services, shall adopt guidelines for the
38program. The board of governors shall be responsible for the
39administration of the funds for the program.
Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government
2Code, commencing January 31, 2017, and every two years
3thereafter, the board of governors shall submit a report to the
4Governor, the education policy committees of the Legislature, and
5the California Child Welfare Council describing its efforts to serve
6students who are current and former foster youth. These biennial
7reports shall also include a review on a campus-by-campus basis
8of the enrollment, retention, transfer, and completion rates of foster
9youth, including categorical funding of those programs.
This article shall be operative in a fiscal year only if
11the board of governors certifies, pursuant to a resolution, that
12sufficient funds have been appropriated for purposes of this article
13for that fiscal year.
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