Amended in Assembly June 23, 2016

Amended in Assembly June 8, 2016

Senate BillNo. 412


Introduced by Senators Glazer and De León

February 25, 2015


An act to add Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430) to Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 412, as amended, Glazer. The California Promise.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state.

This bill would establish the California Promise, which would require the trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete to establish a program that authorizes a campus of the California State Universitybegin delete and the California Community Collegesend delete to enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in obtainingbegin delete an associate degree within 2 academic years, orend delete a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years,begin insert or if the student is a community college transfer student, within two academic years,end insert ofbegin insert the academic year of the student’send insert freshmanbegin delete admission.end deletebegin insert admission, as defined.end insert The bill would require the trustees to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature that includes demographic information about students who participate in the program and a summary description of significant differences in implementation of the program by campus. The bill would require the trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete to submit recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding potential financial incentives that can benefit students who participate in the program.

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By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

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This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: begin deleteyes end deletebegin insertnoend insert.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430) is
2added to Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

3 

4PART 40.2.  THE CALIFORNIA PROMISE

5

 

6

67430.  

This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the
7California Promise.

8

67431.  

For purposes of this part, the following terms have the
9following meanings:

10(a) “Academic year of the student’s freshman admission” means
11the first full academic year in which a person is a student at a
12campus of the California Statebegin delete University or the California
13Community Colleges.end delete
begin insert University.end insert

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14(b) “Board of governors” means the Board of Governors of the
15California Community Colleges.

end delete
begin delete

16(c)

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17begin insert(end insertbegin insertb)end insert “Trustees” means the Trustees of the California State
18University.

19

67432.  

The California Promise is hereby established to support
20students who enroll in the campuses of the California State
21Universitybegin delete and the California Community Collegesend delete in obtaining
22begin delete associate degrees within two academic years, andend delete baccalaureate
P3    1degrees within four academic years,begin delete as applicable,end deletebegin insert or within two
2academic years for community college transfer students,end insert
of the
3academic year of the student’s freshman admission.

4

67433.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

5(a) This part is needed to facilitate the availability and
6completion of coursework for degree programs offered by
7campuses of the California State Universitybegin delete and the California
8Community Collegesend delete
and to ensure that students enrolledbegin delete inend deletebegin insert atend insert
9 these campuses are able to completebegin delete associate degree programs
10within two academic years, andend delete
baccalaureate degree programs
11within four academic years,begin delete as applicable,end deletebegin insert or within two academic
12years forend insert
begin insert community college transfer studentend insertbegin inserts,end insert of the academic
13year of the student’s freshman admission.

14(b) A more concerted, statewide effort to create pathways to
15four-year graduation is needed at the California State University.
16For the 2010 cohort of full-time, first-time students at the California
17State University, 19 percent graduated within four academic years.
18According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the most recent
19nationally comparable data shows that the California State
20University’s overall four-year graduation rate was 16 percent in
212011, below the national rate of 26 percent among similar public
22institutions.

23(c) Impediments to graduating within four academic years
24include the failure of students to complete sufficient units per
25academic year and the lack of available high-demand courses.

26(d) New approaches are critical for the future of higher education
27in California. Efforts have been ongoing, though sporadic, to
28improve postsecondary educational institution enrollment and
29graduation. These efforts will need to be intensified and made
30more broadly systemic.

31(e) Students who graduate within four academic years save tens
32of thousands of dollars. In addition to the direct costs of extended
33college and university enrollment, students miss out on earnings
34in the workforce while they remain in school.

35(f) When California experiences a decline in college and
36university graduates, the state’s economy shrinks and employers
37seek qualified candidates outside the state. Furthermore, a larger
38share of the state’s workforce is downgraded to lower-paying jobs
39and consumer behavior and home ownership declines, which leads
40to plummeting revenues for local and state government and to
P4    1more people relying on increasingly decimated government
2services.

3(g) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, if bold
4measures are not taken, California will fall short of the state’s
5economic demand by 1.1 million college and university graduates
6by 2030. An increased demand for highly educated workers will
7outweigh the number of qualified applicants for available jobs,
8which will be exacerbated when scores of highly educated baby
9boomers retire. The share of workers with a baccalaureate degree
10will be 33 percent in 2030, below the 38 percent that will be
11needed.

12(h) The impact of graduation rates from California State
13University campuses is felt not only throughout the state, but also
14the nation. One out of every 10 California employees is a California
15State University graduate, while one out of every 20 United States
16citizens with a college or university degree graduates from a
17campus of the California State University. These statistics
18emphasize the national importance of graduation rates at California
19State University campuses.

20(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise
21will enable the California State University system to meet and
22exceed the national average of similar public postsecondary
23educational institutions as quickly as possible.

24(j) The California Promise programs established at the California
25State Universitybegin delete and the California Community Collegesend delete in
26accordance with this part should aim to reflect the demographics
27of their respective campuses and target a diverse set of students.

28

67434.  

(a) The trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete shall
29develop and implement a California Promise program that complies
30with this part at 10 or more of their respective campuses.

31(b) Commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year, the trusteesbegin delete and
32the board of governorsend delete
shall authorize each campus with a
33California Promise program pursuant to subdivision (a) to enter
34into a pledge with a qualifying student of the campus, including a
35community college transfer student, to support the student in
36obtainingbegin delete an associate degree within two academic years, orend delete a
37baccalaureate degree within four academic years,begin delete as applicable,end delete
38begin insert or if the student is a community college transfer student, within
39two academic years,end insert
of the academic year of the student’s freshman
40admission.

P5    1(c) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivisionbegin delete (e),end deletebegin insert (d),end insert
2 to be a qualifying student at the California State University, the
3student must comply with both of the following:

4(1) Be a California resident for purposes of in-state tuition
5eligibility.

6(2) Complete at least 30 semester units or the quarter equivalent
7per academic year. Units completed by the student during a summer
8term may count towards the previous or following academic year
9as determined by the trustees.

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10(d) To be a qualifying student at a community college, the
11student must comply with all of the following:

12(1) Be a California resident for purposes of in-state tuition
13eligibility.

14(2) Complete at least 30 semester units or the quarter equivalent
15per academic year. Units completed by the student during a summer
16term may count towards the previous or following academic year
17as determined by the board of governors.

18(3) Be enrolled in an associate degree for transfer program at a
19community college.

20(4) Participate in the program of services outlined in paragraph
21(2) of subdivision (a) of Section 78212, and any other regulatory
22requirements adopted for implementation of the Student Success
23and Support Program established in Article 1 (commencing with
24Section 78210) of Chapter 2 of Part 48 of Division 7.

25(e)

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26begin insert(end insertbegin insertd)end insert (1) Each program established by the trustees at a California
27State University campus shall be reviewed by each campus'
28graduation initiative advisory committee or a committee designated
29with similar functions. The committee shall ensure the goals of
30the program and implementation steps lead to increasing the
31campus’ four-year graduation rates for students who enrolled as
32first-time freshman and two-year graduation rates for community
33college transfer students.

34(2) The committee at each campus may develop additional
35eligibility requirements to prioritize specific student populations
36that have lower four-year graduation rates at the campus for those
37who enroll as first-time freshman and lower two-year graduation
38rates for those who enroll as community college transfer students,
39including, but not limited to, all of the following student
40populations:

P6    1(A) Students who receive financial aid under the federal Pell
2Grant Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program
3established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of
4Part 42.

5(B) Underrepresented students.

6(C) First generation college students.

7(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise
8program at each campus gradually scale up in order to
9accommodate as many students into the program as feasible.

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10(f)

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11begin insert(end insertbegin inserte)end insert Support provided by a California State University campus
12to a student who participates in the campus’ California Promise
13program shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following:

14(1) Priority registration in coursework.

15(2) Academic advisement that includes monitoring the student’s
16academic progress.

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17(g) Support provided by a community college campus to a
18student who participates in the campus’ California Promise
19program shall include those services outlined in paragraph (2) of
20subdivision (a) of Section 78212.

21(h)

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22begin insert(end insertbegin insertf)end insert (1) The trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete shall develop
23application criteria, administrative guidelines, and additional
24requirements, including how campuses will measure student
25success, for purposes of implementing and administering the
26California Promise program.

27(2) Requirements developed in accordance with paragraph (1)
28may include a requirement that a student who participates in a
29California Promise program maintain a minimum grade point
30average determined by the student’s campus.

31(3) In developing requirements for the California Promise
32program, the trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete shall take into
33consideration the report on graduation rates required pursuant to
34Item 6610-001-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2016.

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35(i)

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36begin insert(end insertbegin insertg)end insert (1) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate
37policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2021,
38that includes all of the following:

39(A) The total number of students participating in the program
40disaggregated by individual campus and all of the following:

P7    1(i) Community college transfer students and students who enroll
2as first-time freshman.

3(ii) First generation college students.

4(iii) Recipients of financial aid under the federal Pell Grant
5Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program
6established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of
7Part 42.

8(iv) Student ethnicity.

9(B) The total number of students who graduated in four
10academic years for students who enrolled as first-time freshman
11and two academic years for community college transfer students,
12disaggregated by individual campus and the characteristics
13identified in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive, or subparagraph (A).

14(2) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate policy
15and fiscal committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2019, that
16includes the total number of the first cohort of community college
17transfer students participating in the program, disaggregated by
18individual campus and the characteristics listed in clauses (ii) to
19(iv), inclusive, of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).

20(3) The reports required in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall include
21a summary description of significant differences regarding
22implementation of the California Promise program by campus,
23including, but not limited to, the prioritization of student
24populations pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivisionbegin delete (e)end deletebegin insert (d)end insert if
25applicable, the role of academic advising, and the implementation
26of priority registration.

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27(j)

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28begin insert(end insertbegin inserth)end insert The trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete shall submit
29recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees
30of the Legislature by March 15, 2017, regarding potential financial
31incentives that can benefit students who participate in the California
32Promise program, including, but not limited to, incentives for
33qualifying students who are unable to graduate within four or two
34academic years, as applicable, due to a lack of course offerings.

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35(k)

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36begin insert(end insertbegin inserti)end insert A student who begin delete participates in the California Promise program
37 at a community college and whoend delete
successfully completes his or her
38associate degree for transferbegin delete within two academic yearsend deletebegin insert at a
39community collegeend insert
shall be guaranteed participation in the
P8    1California Promise program at the California State University
2transfer campus, if established.

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3(l)

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4begin insert(j)end insert The trusteesbegin delete and the board of governorsend delete shall make every
5effort to close the achievement gap and encourage broad
6participation in a California Promise program that reflects a
7participating campus’ demographics.

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8

SEC. 2.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
9this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
10local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
11pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
124 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

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