BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 916
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 8, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
AB 916
(O'Donnell) - As Introduced February 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Career technical education: student organizations:
funding
SUMMARY: Appropriates $1.17 million to the California
Department of Education (CDE) to be allocated in support of
career technical student organizations (CTSOs) for youth
leadership development programs and other activities.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Makes findings and declarations regarding the role of CTSOs in
career technical education and in students' leadership
development.
2)Appropriates $1.17 million to the CDE, to be allocated in
support of CTSOs for:
a) youth leadership development programs and activities
AB 916
Page 2
b) training teachers who advise these student organizations
c) maintaining affiliations with national career technical
education organizations, and
d) supplying support services necessary to carry out these
activities
1)Declares that the funds appropriated are "Proposition 98"
revenues.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes, in Government Code Section 19632 (AB 8, Chapter
282, Statutes of 1979), statewide secondary vocational student
organizations authorized and sponsored by the CDE in the
fields of agriculture, business, home economics, and
industrial education, and authorizes funds for their support
to be used to:
a) Improve the ability of the CDE to conduct leadership
development programs for student officers; prepare
instructional materials for teacher advisors; maintain
student membership and financial records; give in-service
training to vocational teachers who advise the student
organizations; maintain affiliation with national
vocational student organizations; and supply support
services necessary to carry out these activities.
AB 916
Page 3
b) Train and prepare new and future vocational education
teachers to organize, manage, and conduct vocational
education student organization activities as an
instructional strategy by providing an opportunity for
their involvement and by conducting college and university
workshops.
c) Train and prepare vocational students to take an active
part in developing and participating in vocational fairs
and other activities related to fairs by cooperating with
the Department of Food and Agriculture to conduct an annual
statewide workshop for this purpose.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states, "Career
Technical Student Organizations provide a valuable service to
California students. These organizations provide students
valuable opportunities for personal growth, leadership
development, and career preparation experiences.
Prior to the recession, these programs were funded outside of
Proposition 98 funding through a General Fund line item. As the
state struggled to balance its budget in 2012-13, the decision
was made to free up General Fund dollars by eliminating
non-Proposition 98 funds that were supporting educational
activities. This reduction in funding has reduced access to
career technical education programs and forced students to
shoulder more of the financial burden for participating in
CTSOs.
AB 916
Page 4
AB 916 provides a one-time allocation of Proposition 98 funding
to help restore state funding to CTSOs. The bill requires this
money to be spent supporting youth leadership development
programs and activities, training teachers who advise these
student organizations, maintaining affiliation with national
career technical education organizations, and supplying support
services necessary to carry out these activities."
CTSOs in California. There are six CTSOs in the state, with the
following current membership:
Future Farmers of America: 76,415 students.
FHA-HERO: 4,015 students
Skills USA: 10,588 students
Future Business Leaders of America: 7,326.
Distributive Education Clubs of America: 4,573
students.
Health Occupations Students of America: 5,229 students
Numerous studies of students participating in CTSOs have found
positive outcomes in the areas of leadership, life skills,
academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career
self-efficacy, college aspirations, and employability skills.
Funding history. State funding for CTSOs began when AB 8
(Greene) of 1979 authorized $500,000 in horseracing license fees
AB 916
Page 5
to support these organizations. In the 1991-92 budget the
funding source for these programs became the General Fund. In
the 2012-13 budget, funding for these programs was eliminated.
The result has been a decline in enrollment and increased
financial burden on students.
Proposition 98 funds. The appropriation made by this bill is
deemed as Proposition 98, but the funding is appropriated to the
CDE for allocation in support of CTSOs. In order for the
appropriation to be considered Proposition 98 revenues, funding
must be received by a local educational agency. To reflect this
intent, staff recommends that the funding be allocated by the
CDE to a local educational agency, such as a county office of
education, with experience in supporting these programs and in
working with the CDE. Accordingly, staff recommends adding the
following to specify the appropriation: "Funds shall be
allocated to a county office of education which has a
significant experience delivering comprehensive career technical
education, including experience with all six of the career
technical student organizations, leadership experience in the
area of workforce preparation and business linkages, experience
serving on committees or task forces on school-to-career and
career technical education, and experience working with the
California Department of Education on committees or task forces
convened by the Department."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Agricultural Teachers' Association (sponsor)
AB 916
Page 6
Cal-Health Occupation Student Association
California Business Education Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Future Farmers of America
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
Distributive Education Clubs of America
Future Business Leaders of America
Future Homemakers of America - Home Economics Related
Occupations
SkillsUSA
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087
AB 916
Page 7