BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 906
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Date of Hearing: June 28, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Susan Bonilla, Chair
SB
906 (Beall) - As Amended May 19, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 38-0
SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: priority enrollment
systems
SUMMARY: Clarifies the definition of "foster youth or former
foster youth" for purposes of priority registration at the
University of California (UC), California State University
(CSU), and California Community Colleges (CCC), and repeals the
sunset date of January 1, 2017, for the provision of priority
registration to foster youth and former foster youth, and to
students in the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services
(EOPS) and eligible for Disabled Student Programs and Services
(DSPS) at the CCC, as specified.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires for the CSU and each CCC district, and requests for
the UC, if a postsecondary institution administers a priority
enrollment system for registration, that priority enrollment
be granted to any current or former foster youth, and repeals
these provisions on January 1, 2017. (EDC 66025.9)
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2)Requires each CCC district that administers a priority
enrollment system for registration to grant priority
registration for enrollment to students in the Extended
Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) program and to
students with disabilities, as specified, and repeals these
provisions on January 1, 2017. (EDC 66025.91)
3)Establishes the CCC 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 encourage
their enrollment and achievement of their educational
objectives and goals. (EDC 69640 et seq.)
4)Requires the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) 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. 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.
(EDC 69640 et seq.)
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, this bill may result in
negligible state costs.
COMMENTS:
Child Welfare Services: The purpose of California's Child
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Welfare Services (CWS) system is to protect children from abuse
and neglect and provide for their health and safety. When
children are identified as being at risk of abuse, neglect or
abandonment, county juvenile courts hold legal jurisdiction and
children are served by the CWS system through the appointment of
a social worker. There are currently over 62,000 children and
youth in California's child welfare system; over 14,000 of these
youths are between the ages of 16 and 20.
Educating California's foster youth: California's public school
system can play a vital role in ensuring that children in the
child welfare system receive the foundation needed to find
academic success, and the positive outcomes associated with an
education, later in life. According to a 2013 study conducted
by the Stuart Foundation entitled "At Greater Risk, California
Foster Youth and the Path from High School to College," only 45%
of foster youth completed high school, compared to 53% of
similarly disadvantaged youth and 79% of the general student
population. Likewise, 43% of foster youth enrolled in a
community college, compared to 46% of similarly disadvantaged
youth and 59% of the general student population.
It is also important to note the difference in demographics
between foster youth and the general youth population.
According to the Stuart Foundation study, nearly a quarter of
foster youth had a disability, compared to 10% of the general
youth population; one-third of foster youth were of
African-American descent compared to 10% of the general student
population; and more than half of foster youth (56%) were girls,
though girls make up one-half of general population youth.
Similarly, foster youth in California were more likely to attend
schools with low performance rankings; about half of foster
youth attended schools in the bottom 30% of the school
performance distribution based on California's Academic
Performance Index (API). Based on additional research, the
study concluded that foster youth are less likely than other
disadvantaged youth to complete high school, enroll in community
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college, or remain in community college for a second year.
Status as a foster youth was directly correlated with a youth's
low rate of high school completion and lower rates of community
college enrollment and persistence.
The study also found that by the age of 26, foster youth,
students with disabilities, and low-income students were much
less likely to hold a post-secondary education degree. Only 6%
of foster youth, 10% of low-income students, and 29% of students
with disabilities will ever hold a degree. By comparison, half
of the population that is not low-income, living with
disabilities, or in foster care, hold a degree.
Priority enrollment: While 70% of California foster youth
express a desire to go to college, approximately 20% of foster
youth attend college and only 2-3% of those youth actually
graduate. Successful completion of a college degree depends on
a variety of factors, but arguably the most important factor is
ensuring that students are able to enroll in the classes they
need. Many students experience the frustration of attempting to
enroll in core classes, only to find that all available
positions in the classes are filled within a matter of minutes.
According to the National Center for Youth Law, in 2012 it was
estimated that between 1,500 and 3,000 college students who were
foster youth between the ages of 18 and 22 utilized priority
registration on college campuses. This service is vital for
youth who lack an existing support system and are forced to
navigate the intricacies of collegiate life on their own.
Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS): The CCC
system administers the EOPS program on its campuses and seeks to
encourage the enrollment, retention, and transfer of students
who face barriers due to language, social, economic and
educational disadvantages. EOPS also seeks to facilitate the
successful completion of student goals and objectives while in
college by offering academic and support counseling, financial
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aid and other support services that extend beyond the
traditional services offered on college campuses. Students are
eligible for EOPS if they meet certain criteria, including
financial and education requirements. Approximately 75,776
students were EOPS students in 2014-15.
Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS): The DSPS program
was created to provide support services, specialized
instruction, and educational accommodations to students with
disabilities so that they can participate as fully and benefit
as equitably from the college experience as their peers without
disabilities. A Student Educational Contract (SEC) is developed
for each student which links a student's goals, curriculum
program, and academic accommodations to his or her specific
disability-related educational limitation. Approximately
121,410 DSPS students were enrolled in the CCC system during the
2014-15 school year.
Need for this bill: According to the author's office, "A 2013
study by the Center for Social Services Research measured the
academic achievement of foster youth, students with disabilities
and low-income students, and found that these groups fared
significantly worse than the general population in a range of
areas, including the percentage who initially enter community
college and persist one year. By age 26, each of these student
populations is much less likely to hold a post-secondary
education degree. For foster youth, 6 percent will hold a
college degree, 10% of low-income students and 29% of students
with a disability, as compared to half of the population that is
not low-income, disabled or in foster care. Priority
registration enables students to register for courses before the
larger student population, thereby allowing them to secure
required courses, shorten the time to degree completion and
reduce financial aid utilization. We know priority registration
works. According to a November 2015 survey, 7,879 foster youth
utilized priority registration in the 2014-15 academic year.
Similarly high levels of utilization have been reported for
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low-income students and students with disabilities. This bill
ensures that our most vulnerable students receive the
opportunity to secure their courses and strive for college
completion."
PRIOR AND RELATED LEGISLATION
AB 2506 (Thurmond), 2016, would, among others, address the low
rates of college persistence and completion among foster youth
in the state, by requiring the California Student Aid Commission
to provide a Chafee Educational and Training Voucher to
qualified students attending qualifying institutions. This bill
is awaiting hearing in the Senate Education Committee.
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 EOPS programs and to disabled students, as
defined; it 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.
AB 2133 (Blumenfield), Chapter 400, Statutes of 2012, required a
veteran to use his/her four years of priority enrollment at the
UC, CSU, and CCC within 15 years of leaving active duty; and,
required that veterans receiving priority enrollment comply with
the requirements of the Student Success Act of 2012.
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 administered a priority
enrollment system, and repealed these provisions on January 1,
2017.
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SB 813 (Committee on Veteran Affairs), Chapter 375, Statutes of
2011, extended the time frame for eligibility for priority
enrollment for veterans at the UC, CSU, and CCC from two years
to four years.
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 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.
SECOND COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE . This bill was previously heard
in the Assembly Higher Education Committee on June 14, 2016, and
was approved on a 13-0 vote.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges -
sponsor
CA Community Colleges Extended Opportunity Programs & Services
Assoc.- co-sponsor
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John Burton Foundation - sponsor
Alameda County Office of Education
American Academy of Pediatrics
CA Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability
Cabrillo College's Foster Youth Independence Program
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Faculty Association
California Federation of Teachers
California State Association of Counties
California State Student Association
California State University, Chico
California State University, Fresno, Renaissance Scholars
Program
California State University, Fullerton, Guardian Scholar Program
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California State University, Los Angeles, Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP)
California State University, Monterey Bay, Guardian Scholar
Program
California State University, San Marcos
California Teachers Association
CCC Student Financial Aid Administrators Association
Centennial High School
Cerritos College, Leaders Involved in Creating Change (LINC)
Program
Children Now
College of the Canyons, Foster Youth Program
College of the Siskiyous, Foster Youth Success Program
County of San Bernardino
Cuymaca College Unlimited Potential! Program (UP!)
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David & Margaret Youth and Family Services
Disability Rights California
East Bay Children's Law Offices
EOPS and foster youth at Cerritos College
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
Family Care Network Inc.
Feather River College
First Place For Youth
Foothill-De Anza Community College District
Foster Care Counts
Guardian Scholars at Pierce College
Hillsides
Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program
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Inspiring Scholars of Butte-Glenn Community College
Junior League of Orange County, Inc. (42 signatures)
Junior League of San Diego
Junior Leagues of California
Kamali'i Foster Family Agency
Larkin Street Youth Services
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Rios Community College District
Mission College
National Association of Social Workers, CA Chapter
Norco College
Orange Coast College
Peacock Acres
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Peralta Community College District
Reedley College
San Bernardino Valley College, Guardian Scholars
San Diego Community College District
San Joaquin County Independent Living Program
Santa Barbara Community College, Guardian Scholors
Shasta College
Smith Renaissance Society at UC Santa Cruz
Solano Community College
South Orange County Community College District
The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy Collaboration
The Campaign for College Opportunity
University of California
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VOICES Youth Centers of California
Walden Family Services
Western Center on Law and Poverty
Youth and Family Services YMCA of Santa Barbara
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089