BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1023
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1023 (Liu)
As Amended June 19, 2014
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :37-0
HUMAN SERVICES 7-0 HIGHER EDUCATION 13-0
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|Ayes:|Stone, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Williams, Chávez, Bloom, |
| |Ammiano, | |Fong, Fox, Jones-Sawyer, |
| |Ian Calderon, Garcia, | |Levine, Linder, Medina, |
| |Grove, Lowenthal | |Olsen, Quirk-Silva, |
| | | |Weber, Wilk |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, | | |
| |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian | | |
| |Calderon, Campos, | | |
| |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, | | |
| |Holden, Jones, Linder, | | |
| |Pan, Quirk, | | |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, | | |
| |Weber | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Authorizes the California Community Colleges (CCC)
Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to enter into agreements with up to
10 community college districts to establish the Cooperating
Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support (CAFYES) program in
order to provide additional funds for services in support of
postsecondary education for foster youth. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Permits the CCCCO to establish agreements with up to 10
community college districts to create the CAFYES program to
provide additional funding and support to community college
students who are or were formerly in foster care.
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2)Specifies that funding for the CAFYES program will be separate
and apart from the funding provided under existing cooperative
agencies resources for education programs established under
the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, as
specified, which includes such programs as Extended
Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).
3)Requires the CAFYES program to provide outreach and
recruitment, service coordination, counseling, book and supply
grants, tutoring, independent living and financial literacy
skills support, frequent in-person contact, career guidance,
transfer counseling, child care and transportation assistance,
and referrals to health services, mental health services,
housing assistance, and other related services.
4)Requires interested community college districts to apply to
the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) and provide information that
includes the estimated number of foster youth who will be
served and the extent of cooperation between the local county
child welfare agency (CWA), the county probation department,
local educational opportunity and services programs, and the
school districts to ensure that services provided to eligible
youth are coordinated with, and do not supplant, other
services provided by the county and state.
5)Specifies that if more than 10 community college districts
apply for the program the BOG shall give priority to the
districts with the higher number of eligible students.
6)Requires students to comply with all of the following
eligibility requirements in order to participate in the
program:
a) Be a current or former foster youth in California whose
dependency was established or continued by the court on or
after the youth's 16th birthday; and,
b) Be no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of
any academic year in which he or she participates in the
program.
7)Requires the BOG to adopt regulations that authorize the
director of the Community College Extended EOPS to accept
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students who are enrolled for at least nine units into this
program.
8)Requires the BOG to adopt regulations to implement the CAFYES
program, in consultation with the Department of Social
Services (DSS), and requires DSS, in consultation with the
County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief
Probation Officers of California, and other advocates, to
consult with the CCCCO to ensure that the CAFYES program and
services are coordinated with, and do not supplant, other
services provided by the county and state.
9)Requires the BOG to provide a report to the Governor, the
Legislature, and the California Child Welfare Council by March
31, 2018, and every two years thereafter, describing its
efforts to serve students who are current and former foster
youth, specifies that the report shall include, but not be
limited to the following: a) recommendations on whether and
how the program can be expanded to all 72 community college
districts and 112 campuses; and, b) a review on a
campus-by-campus basis of the enrollment, retention, transfer,
and completion rates of foster youth.
10)Provides that the CAFYES program may only be operative if
funds have been appropriated in the budget, as specified.
11) Authorizes the BOG to authorize the CCC Chancellor to
designate up to 2% of the funds allocated for program
administration and up to 3% of the funds allocated for program
development and program accountability.
12)States the intent of the Legislature that any student who
participates in the CAFYES program shall also participate in
the Student Success and Support Program, as specified.
13)Makes various legislative declarations and findings,
including, but not limited to the following: a) there are
57,000 children and youth in California's foster care system
who have been removed from their biological families due to
maltreatment and placed into the care and custody of the State
of California; b) by age 21, 45% of former foster youth will
graduate from high school, as compared to 80% of Californians
of the same age; and, c) by age 26, 4.4% of foster youth will
receive a 2-year degree and 3.8% will earn a four-year degree,
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rates significantly below the same-age population in
California.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes EOPS 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
institutions; and, specifies that EOPS is to supplement the
regular educational programs of the community college
(Education Code Section (EC) 69640 to Section 69656).
2)Specifies that a student must meet the following to be
eligible for EOPS: a) be a resident of California; b) 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; c) not have completed more than 70 units of degree
applicable credit coursework; d) qualify to receive a BOG fee
waiver (low-income); and, e) be educationally disadvantaged as
determined by the EOPS director (California Code of
Regulations(CCR), Title 5, Section 56220).
3)Declares that in order for a student to remain eligible for
EOPS, a student must apply for financial aid, maintain
academic progress, and complete and meet an educational plan
and responsibility agreement (5 CCR Section 56222).
4)Establishes the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012,
which applies to all community college 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. Community
colleges have the responsibility to provide 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 have the responsibility
to identify an academic and career goal, declare a specific
course of study, be diligent in class attendance and
completion of assigned coursework, and complete courses and
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maintain academic progress toward an educational goal (EC
Section 78210 to Section 78219 and 5 CCR Section 55500 to
Section 55534).
5)Authorizes the CCCCO, in cooperation with DSS and the
California Employment Development Department, to enter into
agreements with community college districts that have
established cooperative agencies resources for education
(CARE) programs. Existing law also specifies that the CARE
program is to provide additional funds for support services
that are to include at a minimum child care and transportation
allowances, books and supplies, counseling, and other related
services; authorizes community college districts to apply for
funds by providing specific information such as how many
students will be served and the level of cooperation with
other agencies serving the students; and, specifies that
participants in CARE must be at least 18 years of age, be a
single head-of-household, be receiving public assistance, and
desire to complete his or her high school education or pursue
a job-related curriculum. The BOG is required to adopt
guidelines and be responsible for the administration of funds
for the CARE program (EC Section 79150 to Section 79155).
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, the following cost factors are associated with this
measure:
1)Foster youth services: 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 much less than half. The
2014-15 base funding level for EOPS services is $859 per
student, and the support envisioned in this bill is more
extensive. If roughly one in seven districts participate, as
authorized, and serve about 1,000 students at twice the cost
of EOP services, the annual cost would be about $1.7 million
(from the General Fund (GF) and Prop. 98); and,
2)Administration: Approximately $175,000 from the GF to the
CCCCO to establish the program and develop guidelines in
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coordination with specified groups. Ongoing costs will likely
be significantly less, once the programs are operational and
staff is primarily responsible for only the reporting
requirements.
COMMENTS : Background. According to the Stuart Foundation's
2013 report entitled, At Great Risk - California Foster Youth
and the Path from High School to College, independent of such
risk factors as having a disability, California youth in foster
care are less likely to complete high school, enroll in a
community college, or persist in community college once
enrolled. The report finds that, "Foster youth's low rate of
high school completion clearly contributes to their lower rates
of community college enrollment and persistence."
Need for the bill. According to the author, underlying the
Student Success Act of 2012 (as described in the "Existing Law"
section of this analysis), is a belief that all students benefit
from engaging in the behaviors identified in the task force
report. However, a report issued in October 2013 by the Center
for the Future of Teaching and Learning found that students in
foster care have unique characteristics that justify their
identification as a separate at-risk student subgroup. As such,
requirements for full-time enrollment are a significant barrier
to students who are current or former foster youth.
The author states, "SB 1023 is needed to provide an additional
layer of support that meets the unique needs of foster youth to
enable those students to meet the requirements of the Student
Success Act. SB 1023 creates under the umbrella of EOPS an
additional component that is similar in concept to existing
Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) program for
single parents receiving public assistance. In addition to
establishing support services that are specific to current and
former foster youth, SB 1023 authorizes these students to
participate with a minimum of 9 units rather than the full load
of 12 units, at the discretion of the EOPS director. This is
consistent with existing options related to students
participating in Disabled Student Programs and Services, and
does not affect a student's eligibility for financial aid."
Existing resources for community college foster youth.
According to the CCCCO, in November 2006, the CCCCO launched the
unfunded Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) through the
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colleges' financial aid offices to identify and provide priority
services to foster youth and former foster youth. The FYSI
asked colleges to designate a point of contact for their current
and former foster youth.
The FYSI has expressed goals of improving outcomes for current
and former foster youth by improving all of the following: a)
access to student and academic support services and resources;
b) term to term retention and year to year persistence and
academic success; c) enhanced academic performance; d)
completion of certificate and degree programs; and, e) transfer
rates to baccalaureate programs. The FYSI called for each
college to have one or more designated FYSI liaison(s) to help
identify youth from foster care and connect them with campus
resources in order to plan for and navigate admissions and
registration, assessment services and counseling, applications
for financial aid, and to take advantage of other student and
academic support services.
According to the CCCCO, they have identified and are currently
providing support to more than 10,000 former foster youth
annually.
The Chafee Education Training Voucher program (ETV), provides up
to $5,000 annually to current and former foster youth to assist
in covering educationally related costs. The ETV is
administered by the California Student Aid Commission under a
memorandum of understanding with DSS. The program is funding by
both federal and state dollars for a combined total in 2013-14
of nearly $11 million. To note: in 2013-14, the ETV served
approximately 3,350 current and former foster youth out of
17,761 eligible applications at all educational segments in the
state.
Analysis Prepared by : Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0004793
SB 1023
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