BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 968 (Williams) - Postsecondary education: transcripts. ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: February 26, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: This bill requires the governing boards of the state's public and private postsecondary education institutions to indicate that a student has been suspended or expelled from the institution on the student's transcript for the time period of the student's ineligibility to enroll. Fiscal Impact: Costs likely ranging from about $200,000 to $300,000 for colleges to develop and implement the required notation on student transcripts. These costs could be required to be reimbursed by the state if the Commission on State Mandates determines this bill to impose a state mandate. If determined a mandate, it could create pressure to increase the community college mandate block grant to reflect the new mandate. See staff comments. (Proposition 98) The University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) do not anticipate additional costs associated AB 968 (Williams) Page 1 of ? with this bill. Background: Existing law requires the UC Regents, the CSU Trustees, and the governing board of every community college district to adopt specific rules governing student behavior and applicable penalties for violations of the rules; as well as the adoption of procedures by which students are informed of such rules and applicable penalties. (Education Code § 66300) Current law provides that any community college district that receives an application for admission from an individual who has been expelled from, or who is undergoing expulsion proceedings in another district for any of a number of specified offenses may deny, permit, or permit conditionally, the enrollment of the student. The district must first hold a hearing, as specified, to determine whether the individual poses a continuing danger to the district's students and employees. Current law also requires a formal appeal process be established for any student denied enrollment under these provisions. Proposed Law: This bill requires the governing board of each community college district, the CSU Trustees, the UC Regents, the governing body of each independent institution of higher education, and the governing body of each private postsecondary educational institution to indicate on a student's transcript during a student's suspension or expulsion when a student is ineligible to reenroll, for the duration the student is ineligible to reenroll. Related Legislation: AB 969 (Williams, 2015) expands those expulsion offenses which a community college district may require a student seeking admission to disclose to include sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. It also provides that a district may require a student previously expelled for these offenses to inform the district considering admission of such expulsion. AB 969 is pending in this committee. AB 968 (Williams) Page 2 of ? Staff Comments: This bill requires the governing board of each community college district to make specified notations on student transcripts related to suspension and expulsion. The California Community College Chancellor's Office indicates that costs would range between $1,000 and $3,000 for each college to comply with this requirement. According to the Chancellor's Office, about 68 colleges use electronic transcripts and would therefore incur costs towards the low end of the range, while the others would incur costs up to $3,000 each. -- END --