BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2822
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
2822 (Chiu)
As Amended May 31, 2016
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Higher |10-3 |Medina, Baker, Bloom, |Chávez, Linder, |
|Education | |Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, |Olsen |
| | |Levine, Low, | |
| | |Santiago, Weber, | |
| | |Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-6 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Bigelow, Chang, |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, |Gallagher, Jones, |
| | |Calderon, Daly, |Obernolte, Wagner |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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AB 2822
Page 2
SUMMARY: Authorizes the use of Student Success and Support
Program (SSSP) funds for the provision of emergency student
financial assistance. Specifically, this bill:
1)States findings and declarations of the Legislature to
include, among others:
a) Research indicates that students' ability to pay for
nontuition costs plays a major role in determining the
outcomes of their academic careers and impacts student
success;
b) Unexpected financial emergencies can play a major role
when community college students drop out of school;
c) Emergency aid is an effective strategy to retain
students and ultimately improve graduation rates and
overall student success; and,
d) Emergency aid is a critical tool for student retention
and persistence that is most effective as a part of a
broader set of student success efforts.
2)Authorizes funding for SSSP to be used for providing emergency
student financial assistance in order to assist eligible
students to overcome unforeseen financial challenges that
would directly impact their ability to persist in their course
of study. Specifies that these challenges include, but are
not necessarily limited to, the immediate need for shelter or
food.
3)Specifies that no more than 3% of the total funding that a
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community college district or campus receives for the SSSP may
be used for the provision of emergency student financial
assistance.
4)Requests each community college district and campus to
consider the unique characteristics of its student body in
developing specific guidelines for further defining what
constitutes an unforeseen financial challenge for its
students.
5)Specifies that in order for emergency student financial
assistance to be an allowable use of SSSP funds, emergency
student financial assistance shall be included in the
institution's plan for interventions to students.
6)Defines "eligible student" to mean a student who has
experienced an unforeseen financial challenge, who currently
meets satisfactory academic progress of the institution he or
she attends, and who is at risk of not persisting in his or
her course of study due to the unforeseen financial challenge.
7)Defines "emergency student financial assistance" to mean
financial support in the form of financial assistance to
support a student to help overcome unforeseen financial
challenges so that the student can continue his or her course
of study.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Creates the SSSP in order to provide a variety of programs
intended to ensure the success of CCC students, including, but
not limited to: a) student assessment before course
registration; b) counseling and other education planning
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services; c) advising; and, d) development of an education
plan leading to a course of study. Specifies funding for SSSP
shall be targeted to fully implement orientation, assessment,
counseling and advising, and other education planning services
needed to assist a student in making an informed decision
about his or her educational goal and course of study and in
the development of an education plan. (Education Code (EC)
78212).
2)Requires that all community college districts (CCD), with the
assistance of the California Community Colleges (CCC)
Chancellor, establish and maintain institutional research to
evaluate the effectiveness of the SSSP, as specified, and of
any other programs or services designed to facilitate
students' completion of their educational goals and course of
study. Specifies the metrics for said research shall include,
but be not limited to the following: a) prior educational
experience, including transcripts when appropriate, as
determined by the chancellor; b) educational goals and courses
of study; c) criteria for exemption from orientation,
assessment, or required counseling or advisement, if
applicable; d) need for financial assistance; e) disaggregated
data by ethnicity, gender, disability, age, and socioeconomic
status, to the extent this information is available; f)
academic performance, such as the completion of specified unit
thresholds, success in basic skills courses, grade point
average, course completion outcomes, transfer readiness, and
degree and certificate completion; and, g) any additional
information that the chancellor finds appropriate (EC Section
78214).
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, significant cost pressure, at least in the low
millions of dollars annually, from expanding eligible uses of
SSSP funding, which is currently at $300 million annually.
Pasadena City College provided $500 emergency grants to 35
students, totaling $17,500. Grossmont College spent $40,000 on
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emergency assistance in an academic year. These programs have
been funded with external fund sources, such as through district
foundations and from fundraising. Representatives from both
colleges stated that they could serve many more students if more
funds were available.
COMMENTS: Student success and support. SB 1456 (Lowenthal),
Chapter 624, Statutes of 2012, was enacted to implement some of
the Student Success Task Force recommendations. Among other
things, SB 1456 revised and recast the Seymour-Campbell
Matriculation Act of 1986 as the Seymour-Campbell Success Act of
2012 in order to target funding to services such as orientation,
assessment, and counseling and advising to assist students with
the development of education plans. It also required that
students define goals, required that students declare a course
of study and mandated student participation in assessment,
orientation and education planning.
At a regulatory level, the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) has
approved regulations that provide enrollment priority to
students who have participated in assessment, orientation and
who have developed an education plan. A revision of Title 5
regulations is in progress to implement provisions of SB 1456 to
require students to complete core services as well as to declare
a course of study. Additionally, in 2012 the BOG adopted
enrollment priorities and, in Spring 2013, districts are
required to notify students that accumulating 100 degree
applicable units or being on academic or progress probation for
two consecutive terms will result in the loss of enrollment
priority. Finally, as of Fall 2014, students who complete
orientation, assessment, and have a student education plan, will
receive a higher enrollment priority.
Funding structure for SSSP. Existing funding for the SSSP is
targeted to fully implement core services: orientation;
assessment; counseling; advising; and other education planning
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services needed to assist a student in making an informed
decision about his/her education goal and course of study and to
develop an education plan; and, follow up for at-risk students.
Additionally, SSSP funds may only be used for core services and
any CCD or college receiving SSSP funding must agree to
implement the CCC BOG's system of common assessment.
Emergency aid. According to information provided by the author,
the field of emergency aid is emerging as a best practice for
community colleges around the nation; however, the field is
remains relative new. California presently has three community
colleges, Cuyamaca Community College, Grossmont Community
College, and Pasadena Community College that have begun
emergency aid programs. To note, Committee staff understands
that anecdotally, many community colleges are hesitant to
implement some form of emergency aid shy of clear direction from
the Legislature.
Additionally, According to a December 2015 report, by Wisconsin
Hope Lab, entitled, "Investing in Student Completion:
Overcoming Financial Barriers to Retention Through Small-Dollar
Grants and Emergency Aid Programs," a deepening financial need
among students exists and growing concerns about college
retention. The report finds that there is an increased interest
in emergency aid programs, but also many challenges in
implementing them effectively, due in part, to administrators
having to delicately navigate tensions between providing access
and support and rationing scarce resources. The report
recommends that clear criteria for program eligibility, while
providing flexibility for determinations in unusual
circumstances, must be established and clearly communicated.
This measure would provide clear authority to community colleges
to be able to utilize SSSP funds for emergency aid, if they so
choose.
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Purpose of this measure. According to the author, "If
California seriously wants to meet the goals outlined in the
Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act, then the CCCs should have
every effective tool available to them." The author contends
that, this measure provides the CCCs another means to supporting
students, despite unforeseen financial emergencies.
This measure would allow California's community colleges to use
SSSP funds in order to provide emergency aid to eligible
students who face unforeseen financial challenges. The measure
stipulates that eligible students must be making satisfactory
academic progress and be at risk of dropping out of school, due
to an unforeseen financial emergency.
The author argues that, "This measure would further the goals of
California community colleges' to retain and graduate students
by providing emergency aid, at just the right time, to students
who would otherwise be forced to leave school because of a
financial emergency."
Previous legislation. SB 1143 (Liu) Chapter 409, Statutes of
2010, created the California Community Colleges Student Success
Task Force which made 22 recommendations to the CCC BOG to
improve student educational achievement in the state. To note,
the CCC BOG approved the recommendations in January 2012, which
focused on increasing student graduation, transfer, and
certificate completion rates at then all 112 community colleges.
SB 1456 (Lowenthal) Chapter 624, Statutes of 2012, established
the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, and among
other reforms to the CCCs relating to student success,
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established the SSSP. To note, since the enactment of SB 1456,
the Legislature and the Governor have continually provided
funding to SSSP.
Analysis Prepared by:
Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960
FN: 0003289