BILL ANALYSIS
SB 890
Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 3, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
SB 890 (Scott) - As Amended: June 27, 2007
SENATE VOTE : 32-3
SUBJECT : Pupils: Early Commitment to College Program
SUMMARY : Establishes the Early Commitment to College Program
(ECCP), administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI), under which school districts that choose to participate
would motivate and assist their pupils, as specified.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the program goals to include:
a) Increasing high school completion and direct
college-going rates for pupils attending schools with high
poverty rates;
b) Motivating pupils to take college preparatory
coursework;
c) Helping families understand that college is attainable;
and
d) Preparing the highly skilled workforce needed in
California.
2)Defines "College Opportunity Zones" (COZs) as the 30 percent
of middle schools and high schools with the highest proportion
of low-income pupils and defines "low-income student" as a
pupil who is eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
3)Specifies that participation by school districts is voluntary,
however, school districts that participate would be encouraged
to do so on a districtwide basis and would be required to:
a) Provide schoolwide college information to pupils,
including those who sign specified "Save Me a Spot in
College" pledges;
b) Offer all grade 6 - 9 pupils the opportunity to sign the
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specified pledges if the participating school district has
been identified as a COZ;
c) Offer grade 6 - 9 pupils who qualify for free or
reduced-price meals but whose schools are not identified as
a COZ the opportunity to sign the specified pledges;
d) Record specified pupil participation data and provide
reports to the SPI; and
e) Provide information and services through middle school
and high school years, through existing programs, to pupils
who sign the pledges.
4)Requires the SPI to:
a) Identify 30 percent of the school districts that operate
middle and high schools with the highest proportion of
pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals as COZs;
b) Develop the "Save Me a Spot in College" pledges and
other program materials, as specified;
c) Consult with the University of California (UC), the
California State University (CSU), California Community
Colleges (CCC), the California Student Aid Commission
(CSAC), and the independent colleges and universities;
d) Determine the form of recognition participating pupils
will receive upon fulfillment of the requirements of the
pledge;
e) Collect data, as specified;
f) Develop a letter to be posted on the SPI Web site and
addressed to pupils enrolled in grades 6 - 9 and signed by
the Governor and the SPI that describes the major steps to
prepare for college, including career technical education,
and the major financial aid opportunities available to
students in California, which school districts are
encouraged to distribute through existing means to pupils;
g) Develop a second letter to be posted on the SPI Web site
that details the ECC program and is directed to pupils
eligible to sign the pledge, which school districts are
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encouraged to distribute through existing means to pupils,
as appropriate; and
h) Determine a mechanism by which pupils can be assured a
two-year CCC Board of Governor's fee waiver.
5)Specifies that pupils signing a "Save Me a Spot in College"
pledge commit to meet all high school graduation requirements,
seek proficiency in math and English, enroll in college
preparatory coursework, and complete an application for
financial aid during their senior year and meet application
and other requirements for postsecondary enrollment in the
academic year after high school, as specified.
6)Provides a guaranteed pre-approval for a two-year CCC fee
waiver for students who sign the pledge and complete all
requirements.
7)Encourages UC, CSU, the CCCs, the independent colleges, the
California Student Opportunity and Access Program, the CSAC
and other businesses and organizations to provide support
services, as needed.
8)Allows any private or independent school that participates in
federal free or reduced-price lunch programs to participate in
the ECCP.
9)Requires the SPI to recommend to the Legislature by November
1, 2016, on whether the program should be continued.
10)Sunsets the program as of January 1, 2018, unless a later
statute becomes operative before that date.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires schools to provide pupils in grades 7 - 12 a course
of study fulfilling the requirements and prerequisites for
admission to a California public institutions of postsecondary
education and provide a timely opportunity for those pupils to
enroll within a four-year period in each course necessary to
fulfill those requirements and prerequisites.
2)Authorizes a school district to apply to establish a
University and College Opportunities Program with existing
local or categorical funds and requires these programs provide
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specified assistance to students interested in attending a
college or university.
3)Establishes the California Student Opportunity and Access
Program to improve the flow of information about postsecondary
education and financial aid while raising the achievement
levels of low-income, elementary and secondary school student
or geographic regions with documented low-eligibility or
college participation rates and who are first in their
families to attend college.
FISCAL EFFECT : The Senate Appropriations Committee estimates a
cost of $200,000 to $500,000 to the SPI. This measure does not
provide funding to school districts should they choose to
participate in the program. However, the author believes the
June 4th and June 27th amendments reduce the SPI's costs to
approximately $125,000.
COMMENTS : Background : The sponsor of this bill, the Campaign
for College Opportunity (CCO), is a nonprofit organization
devoted to ensuring that the next generation of college-age
students in California has the chance to go to college as
promised by the state 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education.
The co-founders of the CCO are the California Business
Roundtable, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
Fund, and the Community College League of California. In
November 2005, the CCO released the results of a study analyzing
the return on investment for higher education. Key findings
reported included that:
1)Every dollar invested to get students in and through college
results in a net return of three dollars.
2)Gains in college-going for each group of 18 year olds in
California will yield $3 billion in additional net tax revenue
over their lifetimes.
3)If enrollment stalls at current capacity, the state will lose
money due to reduced tax revenues and increased costs for
social welfare and incarceration.
The study notes important policy implications such as improving
the high school to college transition, making the best use of
all higher education assets, and enhancing college access and
outcomes for students from all ethnic groups. Based upon the
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study, the CCO proposed that the Governor, Legislature, and
education leaders develop and implement a plan with the
following major elements:
1)Participation: Develop a decade-long enrollment plan that
considers population growth, improved college-going rates and
workforce needs. Efforts should be expanded to ensure
participation and better academic preparation of entering
students.
2)Efficiency: More efficient completion of certificates and
degrees to be achieved via better paths to degree, joint use
of facilities, student services, coordination of high schools
and community colleges, and other strategies.
3)State Investment: Increase state investment for higher
education each year over the course of the decade for growing
enrollment, financial aid, and other related costs.
4)Fees and Financial Aid: Develop a sustained fee policy with
gradual, moderate, and predictable fee increases tied to
increasing financial aid for students in need.
Education attainment trends : Recently released research reports
by the California Postsecondary Education Commission and the
Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) indicate that
California will soon experience a shortage of skilled workers.
The highly skilled baby boom generation will be retiring, and
projections indicate that California's replacement workforce
will have lower levels of educational attainment if current
trends continue. The fastest growing segment of California's
population-immigrants and their children, especially
Latinos-will be a large percentage of the working-age population
in 2025, but they are among the least likely to finish high
school or to attend or finish college. Further exacerbating the
problem, the PPIC study predicts that California will not be
able to import enough skilled workers (those with college
degrees and beyond) to meet the economy's needs. PPIC estimates
that by 2020, 39% of California's jobs will require a college
degree yet only 33% are likely to have the necessary education.
Similar programs : According to the author, this bill builds
upon existing successful local programs, such as the Passport to
College program administered by the San Joaquin Delta College
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that has received 7,000 commitments from students to date and
the Compact for Success that promises admission to San Diego
State University to all Sweetwater Unified School District
students who meet educational benchmarks. In addition, other
states have implemented similar programs, including Indiana's
21st Century Scholars Program that commits a spot in college and
a financial aid grant equal to tuition for four years to
low-income students. Indiana has moved from 40th in
college-going to 9th among all states.
Issues to consider :
1)Will this bill extend the CCC fee waiver to students who do
not meet income eligibility requirements? The ECCP targets
low-income pupils in schools that have low college-going
rates, and data provided by the author indicates that these
students will most likely qualify for the CCC fee waiver.
However, it is possible that a student's financial
circumstances could improve between the time he or she signs
the pledge and enrollment in a CCC, just as it is possible
that students who were not eligible to participate in ECCP
could have unexpected financial hardship at the time they
enroll in a CCC. That said, the sponsor believes that a
meaningful guarantee (such as the CCC fee waiver) is essential
for ECCP to engage pupils and their families. The author may
wish to consider asking the SPI to include in the report to
the Legislature an examination of ECCP students who utilized
the CCC fee waiver and their eligibility separate from the
ECCP guarantee.
2)Will school districts participate? The existing school
district efforts described above and the number of school
districts in support of this bill leads the author to believe
that school districts will participate in this program.
3)Is legislation necessary? School districts can already carry
out these activities, as evidenced by the local programs
already in place. However, ECCP brings a focus and
collaboration to the effort by involving all elements of the
K-University spectrum on the goal of alerting students and
their families to the possibility and services available to
them to pursue career technical or postsecondary education.
4)Can California's colleges and universities accommodate
increased enrollments? The PPIC study mentioned previously in
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this analysis also indicates that if students continue to seek
a college education at the same rate they do today, by 2013
California will face a shortfall of 686,000 spaces in its
colleges and universities. This measure seeks to increase the
number of students attending postsecondary education. While
this is a laudable and important goal, will our colleges and
universities be able to accommodate this enrollment growth?
As California implements programs to increase its
college-going population, should it also address its capacity,
use of facilities, and the funding it provides to educate
those students?
Previous legislation : SB 1709 (Scott) of 2006, created the
College Opportunity Act of 2006, outlining a number of
responsibilities for planning and funding of higher education
with the goal of increasing the number of young Californians who
pursue and complete a college education. It was held on the
Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.
Double-referral : Should this bill pass out of this Committee,
it will be referred to the Assembly Education Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
AFSCME
Alameda County Office of Education
ALL Student Loan
Anaheim City School District
Applied Research Center
Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California
Automobile Club of Southern California
AVID
Bay Area Council
Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs
CalChamber
California Catholic Conference
California Coast Credit Union
California Farm Bureau Federation
Californians for Justice Education Fund
California State PTA
California State University
Campaign for College Opportunity (sponsor)
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CATAPULT
Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
Citrus College
CJ Ventures
College of the Sequoias
College OPTIONS
Community Action Partnership of Kern
Community Coalition of South Los Angeles
Compact for Success, San Diego State University
Contoural
Contra Costa College
Coronado Unified School District Governing Board
Families In Schools
Fullerton School District
Garvey School District
Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services Inc. (GLASS)
Girls Inc of Orange County
Golden West College
Great Valley Center
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Hispanic Leadership Council of Stanislaus County
Inner City Struggle
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Linking Education and Economic Development (LEED)
MACSA
Merced City School District
Merced Community College District
MALDEF
Modesto Chamber of Commerce
Modesto Junior College
Oakland Community Organizations
Orange County Department of Education
Oxnard Union High School District
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)
Pierce College
Public Advocates, Inc.
Raytheon
Rio Linda Union School District
Ruiz Foods
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Community College District
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San Bernardino County Office of Education
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce
Savanna School District
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Southern California Edison
South Orange County Community College District
Southwestern College
Stanislaus County Board of Education
Stanislaus County Office of Education
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
University of California
UCLA Institute for Democracy Education & Access (IDEA)
West Los Angeles College
Wilshire Industries Inc.
Yosemite Community College District Trustee
Yuba Community College District
15 individuals
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960