BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 906
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|Author: |Beall |
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|Version: |January 25, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: March 9, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: | Yes |
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|Consultant:|Kathleen Chavira |
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Subject: Public postsecondary education: priority enrollment
systems
SUMMARY
This bill conforms the definition of "foster youth or former
foster youth," for the purposes of priority registration at the
University of California (UC), the California State University
(CSU), and the California Community Colleges (CCC), to existing
state higher education program definitions, deletes the sunset
on the extension of priority registration to foster youth or
former foster youth, and deletes the sunset on the extension of
priority registration to Extended Opportunity Programs and
Services (EOPS) students and Disabled Student Programs and
Services (DSPS) students at the California Community Colleges.
BACKGROUND
Current law requires, if the institution administers a priority
enrollment system for registration, that the CSU and each CCC
district, and requests that the UC, grant priority enrollment,
to any current or former foster youth, and repeals these
provisions on January 1, 2017. (EC § 66025.9)
Current law establishes the Community College EOPS to extend
opportunities for community college education to all who may
profit regardless of economic, social and educational status,
and to encourage local community colleges to identify students
affected by economic, language, and social disadvantages and
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encourage their enrollment and achievement of their educational
objectives and goals. The Board of Governors is required to
adopt regulations with the objective that the EOPS programs
include qualified counseling staff, facilitation of transfer,
and enrollment in courses necessary to develop successful study
skills, as specified. Current law also authorizes local
community college governing boards to provide services that may
include loans or grants for living costs, student fees, and
transportation costs and also scholarships, work-experience and
job placement programs. (EC § 69640 - § 69656)
Current law requires each CCC district that administers a
priority enrollment system for registration to grant priority
registration for enrollment to students in the EOPS program and
to disabled students, as specified, and repeals these provisions
on January 1, 2017. (EC § 66025.91)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Redefines "foster youth or former foster youth," for
purposes of priority registration at California's public
higher education segments, to conform to definitions
consistent with the California Chaffee Foster Youth Grant
program and the community colleges Cooperating Agencies
Foster Youth Educational Support Program. More
specifically, these students are defined as those who meet
both the following criteria:
a) Dependency was established or continued
by the court on or after the youth's 16th birthday.
b) Are no older than 25 years of age at
the commencement of the academic year.
2) Deletes the sunset on the requirement (and in the case of
the University of California, the request) that the
California State University and each community college
district grant priority registration for enrollment to a
foster youth or former foster youth, thereby permanently
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extending this priority for these students.
3) Deletes the sunset on the extension of priority
registration to Extended Opportunity Programs and Services
students and disabled students at the California Community
Colleges, thereby permanently extending registration
priority to these students.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. This bill, sponsored by the Board of
Governors of the California Community Colleges would
statutorily require the extension of priority enrollment
consistent with existing regulations adopted by the BOG.
According to the author, foster youth, students with
disabilities, and low-income students all experience
academic success rates disproportionately lower than the
general population. The author cites various reports
issued between 2009 and 2001 that indicate; 1) while half
of all people from high-income families have a bachelor's
degree by age 25, only 10 percent of people from low-income
families do; 2) only 29 percent of students with
disabilities left having graduated or completed their
postsecondary education program; 3) only 8 percent of
foster youth had a postsecondary degree from either a
2-year or a 4-year school.
2) Existing state foster youth definitions. This bill
redefines "foster youth and former foster youth" for the
purposes of priority registration. The intent is to
conform the definition for this purpose with the
definitions for two existing programs designed to serve
foster youth in postsecondary education.
The California Chafee Foster Youth Grant program is a
federal and state funded program that provides financial
assistance for current or former California foster youth
for college or career and technical training. Chafee
Grants may also be used to pay for child care, rent, and
transportation while the recipient is in school.
To qualify, the applicant, among other things, must be a
current or former foster
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youth who was a dependent or ward of the court, living in
foster care, between
the ages of 16 and 18 and must not have reached his/her
22nd birthday as of
July 1st of the award year.
The Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support
program, established by SB 1023 (Liu, Chapter 771, Statutes
of 2014), authorizes the California Community Colleges
(CCC) Chancellors Office to enter into agreements with up
to 10 CCC districts to establish an additional supplemental
component of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services
(EOPS) in order to provide additional funds for services in
support of postsecondary education for foster youth. The
2015-16 Budget Act provided up to $15 million for this
purpose. A student participant in this program must be a
current or former foster youth in California whose
dependency was established or continued by the court on or
after the youth's 16th birthday and be no older than 25
years of age at the commencement of any academic year in
which he or she participates in the program.
3) Existing community college enrollment priority categories.
Current law extends registration priority to foster youth
and to EOPS students and Disabled Student Programs and
Services (DSPS) students at the community colleges until
January 1, 2017. In addition, current law grants priority
enrollment registration to any member or former member of
the Armed Forces, as specified.
Enrollment policies related to the implementation of the
system's Student Success Initiative (SSI) have also been
implemented. The Legislature has provided significant
funding for the Student Services Support Program (SSSP)
established by SB 1425 (Lowenthal, Chapter 624, Statutes of
2013) to provide targeted services such as orientation,
assessment, and counseling and advising to assist students
with the development of education plans. The Board of
Governors have implemented a number of related regulatory
and administrative changes, including the provision of
higher enrollment priority to students who have
participated in these targeted services. Districts are
also now required to notify students that accumulating 100
degree applicable units or being on academic or progress
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probation for two consecutive terms will result in the loss
of enrollment priority.
AB 595 (Gomez, Chapter 704 Statutes of 2013), among other
things, established the Legislature's intent that any
student who receives priority registration for enrollment
(which would include veterans, EOPS students, foster youth,
and DSPS students) shall comply with the requirements of
the Student Success Initiative. These provisions were
adopted in order to ensure that the enrollment priorities
supported, and did not undermine, statutory and regulatory
efforts to ensure the development of statewide strategies
and to incentivize student behaviors that result in student
success.
According to the sponsor, it is the expectation that
students granted priority enrollment by the provisions of
this bill will comply with EC §66602.95 which clarifies
that any student who receives priority registration shall
participate in SSSP programs and services including
orientation, assessment, counseling, and the development of
an education plan, among other things.
4) Net effect? In 2014-15 the CCC enrolled over 2.3 million
students. Of these, 121,406 were disabled students, over
15,000 were foster youth and, the CCC were allocated about
$79 million for the EOPS program and served about 79,000
EOPS students statewide. Additionally, according to the
CCC, in 2014-15 more than 61,000 veterans, who also receive
priority enrollment, utilized education benefits at a
California community college.
Given the limited EOPS funding provided, not all students
who meet the criteria for the EOPS program are able to be
served. This population could include AB 540 students,
CalWORKs recipients (about 30,800 enrolled in the
California Community Colleges in 2014-15), as well as other
students who are faced with educational, financial, or
personal disadvantages. Although these students may have
complied with the statutory and regulatory Student Success
Initiative requirements, these students are extended
priority enrollment only after veterans, foster youth,
disabled students and students fortunate enough to be
served through an Extended Opportunity Programs and
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Services program have received priority enrollment.
5) Prior legislation.
a) AB 595 (Gomez, Chapter 704, Statutes of 2013)
required a community college district that administers
a priority enrollment system to grant priority
registration for enrollment to students in the
Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS)
programs and to disabled students, as defined and also
established the Legislature's intent that any student
who receives priority registration for enrollment
shall comply with the requirements of the Student
Success Initiative.
b) SB 2133 (Blumenfield, Chapter 400, Statutes of
2012) required a veteran to use their four years of
priority enrollment at the University of California,
California State University, and California Community
Colleges within 15 years of leaving active duty. The
bill also required that veterans receiving priority
enrollment comply with the requirements of the Student
Success Act of 2012.
c) AB 194 (Beall, Chapter 458, Statutes of 2011)
until July 1, 2017, required a community college
district to grant priority enrollment for registration
to any current or former foster youth, if the
institution already administers a priority enrollment
system, and repeals these provisions on January 1,
2017.
d) SB 813 (Committee on Veteran Affairs, Chapter
375, Statutes of 2011) extended the time frame for
eligibility for priority enrollment for veterans at
the University of California (UC), California State
University (CSU), and California Community Colleges
(CCC) from two years to four years.
e) SB 272 (Runner, Chapter 356, Statutes of 2007)
extended priority enrollment at the UC, CSU and CCC
for a veteran who is a resident of California and who
has received an honorable discharge, a general
discharge, or an other than honorable discharge for
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any academic term attended at one of these
institutions within two years of leaving state or
federal active duty, if the institution already
administered a priority enrollment system.
SUPPORT
Alameda County Office of Education
American Academy of Pediatrics
Berkeley Hope Scholars, University of California at Berkeley
Board of Governors, California Community Colleges
CA Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Community Colleges Extended Opportunity Programs and
Services (EOPS) Association
California State University Chico Student Learning Center
Chaffey Community College District
Children Now
East Bay Children's Law Offices
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
Family Care Network, Inc.
Foster Care Counts
Foster Youth Success Program, College of the Siskiyous
Fred Finch Youth Center
Guardian Scholars Program, California State University Monterey
Bay
Inspiring Scholars of Butte-Glenn Community College
John Burton Foundation
Kamali'I Foster Family Agency
Larkin Street Youth Services
Orange Coast College Guardian Scholars Program
PATH Scholars, California State University Chico
Peacock Acres, Inc.
Renaissance Scholars Program, California State University Fresno
Smith Renaissance Society at the University of California Santa
Cruz
VOICES Youth Centers of California
Walden Family Services
Western Center on Law and Poverty
Youth and Family Services YMCA
90+ Letters from individuals
OPPOSITION
None received.
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