BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 716
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Date of Hearing: April 7, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 716
(Low) - As Introduced February 25, 2015
SUBJECT: California State University: special sessions
SUMMARY: Defines "supplanting" for purposes of California State
University (CSU) special sessions (extended education) to mean
"reducing the number of state-supported course offerings while
increasing the number of self-supporting versions of that
course"; requires each campus to ensure any course required as a
condition of state-supported undergraduate degree completion to
be offered as a state-supported course; and, prohibits a campus
from requiring a state-supported student to enroll in an
extended education course in order to fulfill a graduation
requirement.
EXISTING LAW:
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1)Requires CSU to establish tuition/fees adequate to meet the
cost of maintaining "special sessions" (extension
courses/programs) and defines "special sessions" to mean
self-supporting instructional programs conducted by CSU,
including, but not be limited to, career enrichment and
retraining programs; and,
2)Establishes Legislative intent that extension programs may be
provided throughout the year, and shall not supplant regular
course offerings available on a non self-supporting basis
during the regular academic year.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS: Background. Under the CSU Extended and Continuing
Education Program, campuses offer baccalaureate and graduate
degree programs, certificates, and many forms of specialized
education and training for business, industry, and government.
While the composition of campus extended education programs
varies considerably, most maintain common instructional
elements, including allowing nonmatriculated students to enroll
in courses, pay self-support fees and earn university academic
credit. Many campus extended education programs are conducted
during times when regular academic operations are recessed.
Concern over CSU use of extension. During California's budget
crisis funding reductions to CSU resulted in fewer
state-supported course offerings. CSU also increased extended
education programming. Because demand for some state-supported
courses exceeded availability, some students enrolled in
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extended education courses to meet graduation requirements.
Financial aid programs generally do not cover the higher priced
extended education costs, and concerns were raised about the
impact of forcing matriculated CSU students to take extended
education courses in order to graduate. These concerns led the
Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) to request an audit of
CSU's use of extended education programming.
Audit of CSU Extended Education. In December 2013, the Bureau
of State Audits (BSA) released an audit report concerning
extended education in CSU and the supplanting of state-supported
courses. BSA found difficulty in determining the extent to
which "supplanting" occurred due to lack of clarity in the term.
The BSA audit considered two interpretations of supplanting:
(1) a campus could not require a student to enroll in a
self-supported course as the only path to their degree; and, (2)
the plain meaning definition of replacing a state-supported
section with an extension section. In analyzing campus course
data for fiscal years 2007-08 through 2011-12, BSA found
potential instances of supplanting under both definitions. BSA
recommended that the Legislature provide direction regarding the
interpretation of supplanting, and provided several
recommendations to the CSU Chancellor's Office regarding
oversight and compliance of campus extension program activities.
CSU Executive Order (EO) 1099. In response to the BSA audit,
the CSU Chancellor's Office (CO) established an Extended
Education State Audit Task Force to develop a definition of
supplanting and make recommendations. The Task Force included
five campus presidents, four faculty members, two provosts, two
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extended education representatives, and two Office of the
Chancellor representatives. The Task Force solicited
comments/feedback from the CSU community, and has held meetings
open to the public to discuss definition options. The final
recommendations of the Task Force were presented to the
Chancellor; on June 9, 2014, the Chancellor issued EO 1099
relating to extended education.
Supplanting courses and serving students. EO1099 expressly
prohibits, consistent with current law, extended education
programs from supplanting regular state-supported course
offerings during the regular academic year; however, supplanting
is not defined. This bill defines supplanting to mean reducing
the number of state-supported course offerings while increasing
the number of self-supporting versions of that course. In order
to determine campus compliance with EO 1099 for the prior
academic year, the CSU CO determined if at any campus there was
a decrease in state-supported FTES served and an increase in
state-supported students enrolled in extended education
instruction. The CSU CO is working with campuses that reported
an increase in state-supported students enrolled in extended
education courses. This bill would expressly define supplanting
in terms of the number of course offerings.
Requiring extended education for graduation. EO 1099 states,
consistent with the requirement contained in this bill, that CSU
campuses are prohibited from requiring a state-supported student
to enroll in an extended education course in order to fulfill a
graduation requirement. However, in both the EO and in this
bill, it is undefined when and how it would be determined that a
matriculated student was required to take an extended education
course in order to meet graduation requirements. Committee
staff understands that under the current CSU EO, a
state-supported student is considered to have been required to
enroll in an extended education course only if the student is
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actually required to enroll in an extended education course;
however, the student may be unable to take the course because it
is not offered or is full.
Prior legislation.
AB 2153 (Gray, 2014) and AB 2610 (Williams, 2014) would have
establish a definition of "supplanting" for the purpose of CSU
extension. AB 2153 was held in the Senate Education Committee
and AB 2610 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2427 (Butler, 2012), held in the Senate Appropriations
Committee, would have required CSU to annually report to the
Legislature on extended education and the CSU Trustees to
publicly notice, hear, and approve any changes to special
session fees.
SB 1011 (Calderon, 2010), which was held in the Senate, would
have prohibited CSU summer session fees from exceeding the fees
charged per credit unit for any other academic term, except for
courses taken solely for the purpose of career enhancement or
job retraining.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
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Support
California Faculty Association
Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by:Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960
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