BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de León, Chair


          SB 1023 (Liu) - Community Colleges: Foster Youth
          
          Amended: April 24, 2014         Policy Vote: Education 8-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: May 23, 2013      Consultant: Jacqueline  
          Wong-Hernandez
          
          SUSPENSE FILE. AS AMENDED.
          
          
          Bill Summary: SB 1023 authorizes the California Community  
          Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to enter into agreements  
          with community college districts (CCDs), in collaboration with  
          the Department of Social Services (DSS), the County Probation  
          Officers Association, and county child welfare agencies, to  
          provide additional funds for services in support of  
          postsecondary education for foster youth and former foster  
          youth. This bill also establishes eligibility and participation  
          requirements for the program.

          Fiscal Impact (as approved on May 23, 2014): The actual level of  
          program funding will be determined by the BOG, and presumably  
          would be based on a budget appropriation for this purpose.
              Foster youth services: Approximately $2 million (General  
              Fund) annually to provide the services described, depending  
              on the distribution of eligible participants and the level  
              of CCD participation.
              Administration: Approximately $175,000 (General Fund) to  
              the CCCCO to establish the program and develop guidelines in  
              coordination with specified groups, which includes 1 PY for  
              the program and 1 PY office technician, and travel. Ongoing  
              costs would likely be significantly less, once the programs  
              are operational and staff is primarily responsible for only  
              the reporting requirements.

          Background: The Community College Extended Opportunity Programs  
          and Services (EOPS) works to increase the enrollment of students  
          who are affected by language, social and economic disadvantages,  
          improve the delivery of programs and services to the  
          disadvantaged, and increase the number of students who  
          successfully complete their chosen educational objectives, are  
          placed into career employment, and transfer to four-year  








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          institutions.  EOPS is to supplement the regular educational  
          programs of the CCC.  (Education Code § 69640-69656)

          In order to be eligible for EOPS, a student must: 1) be a  
          resident of California; 2) be enrolled full-time (12 units); the  
          EOPS director is authorized to allow up to 10% of EOPS students  
          to be enrolled in nine units; 3) not have completed more than 70  
          units of degree applicable credit coursework; 4) qualify to  
          receive a BOG fee waiver; and, 5) be educationally disadvantaged  
          as determined by the EOPS director. (California Code of  
          Regulations, Title 5, § 56220)

          The Student Success Act, in existing law, applies to all CCC  
          students for the purpose of increasing student access and  
          success by providing effective core matriculation services,  
          including orientation, assessment and placement, counseling and  
          other education planning services and academic interventions.  
          CCCs are responsible for providing student services and support,  
          including orientation, assessment, counseling and education  
          planning, referral to specialized support services, and  
          evaluation of each student's progress and referral to  
          appropriate interventions. Students are responsible for  
          identifying an academic and career goal, declaring a specific  
          course of study, being diligent in class attendance and  
          completion of assigned coursework, and completing courses and  
          maintaining academic progress toward an educational goal.
          (EC § 78210-78219; 5 CCR § 55500-55534)

          Proposed Law: This bill authorizes the CCCCO, in cooperation  
          with the DSS and others, to enter into agreements to provide  
          additional funds for services in support of foster youth. This  
          bill requires the BOG, in conjunction with the DSS, to adopt  
          guidelines for this program, and requires the BOG to be  
          responsible for the administration of the program funds.

          This bill authorizes a CCD to apply to the BOG for funding to  
          administer this program, and requires the application to: a)  
          demonstrate that all existing resources have been exhausted; b)  
          provide the number of foster youth who will be served; c)  
          describe the extent of cooperation between the local county  
          child welfare department, DSS, the local EOPS, and the CCD.

          To be eligible to participate in this program, a student must 1)  
          be a current or former foster youth in California whose  








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          dependency was established by the court on or after the youth's  
          16th birthday; and, 2) be no older than 25 years of age at the  
          beginning of the academic year of participation.

          Support services must include, but are not limited to: a) Child  
          care and transportation allowances; b) allowances for books and  
          supplies; c) counseling and mental health services; d) career  
          counseling; e) matriculation and transfer counseling; f)  
          monitoring of academic progress; g) tutoring and mentoring; h)  
          independent living skills support; i) housing assistance; j)  
          frequent in-person contact; and, k) other related services.

          This bill requires the BOG, beginning January 31, 2017, and  
          biennially thereafter, to submit a report to the Governor, the  
          education policy committees of the Legislature, and California  
          Child Welfare Council describing its efforts to serve students  
          who are current and former foster youth, as specified.

          This bill provides that it is to become operative in a fiscal  
          year only if the BOG certifies by resolution that sufficient  
          funds have been appropriated for that fiscal year.

          Staff Comments: The purpose of this bill is to provide  
          significant additional resources, including monetary resources,  
          directly to a subset of foster youth and former foster youth who  
          are CCC students. The bill creates a new campus support program  
          within EOPS specifically for students who were: a) in foster  
          care on or after their 16th birthdays; b) are under the age of  
          26; and, c) are enrolled in at least 9 units.

          There are approximately 13,000 self-identified foster youth and  
          former foster youth enrolled in CCC courses statewide. The  
          number of those who would meet the additional requirements to be  
          eligible for services is unknown, but it is likely to be far  
          fewer than half. The 2013-14 base funding level for EOPS  
          services is $859 per student, and the support envisioned in this  
          bill is considerably more extensive. If 6,500 students were to  
          receive additional services and allowances costing 1.5 to 2  
          times the amount of EOPS services, it would cost $8 million -  
          $11 million annually. 
          
          Staff recommends a technical amendment to replace references to  
          "County Probation Officers Association" with "Chief Probation  
          Officers of California," throughout the bill.








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          Committee amendments limit participation to a maximum of 10  
          CCDs, and make the technical amendment recommended in the  
          analysis.