BILL ANALYSIS
SB 890
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 890 (Scott)
As Amended August 8, 2008
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :32-3
HIGHER EDUCATION 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 16-0
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|Ayes:|Portantino, Horton, |Ayes:|Leno, Walters, Caballero, |
| |Arambula, Beall, Cook, | |Davis, DeSaulnier, |
| |Galgiani, Ruskin | |Emmerson, Furutani, |
| | | | Huffman, Karnette, |
| | | |Krekorian, La Malfa, |
| | | |Lieu, Ma, Nakanishi, |
| | | |Nava, |
| | | |Solorio |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the voluntary Early Commitment to College
(ECC) program designed to increase college preparation for
low-income K-12 pupils. It provides participating pupils a
California Community College (CCC) fee waiver for two or more
years of enrollment, as long as the pupil is a California
resident and continues to show financial need on the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The program would
sunset on January 1, 2019. Specifically, this bill :
1)Encourages a school district that chooses to participate in
the ECC program to implement it district wide and requires a
school district to provide college information to pupils in
grades 6-9 who sign the "Save Me a Spot in College" pledge.
2)Requires a participating school district to certify that a
pupil has taken the pledge, and track pupils enrolled in the
ECC program by reporting participation and outcome data as
specified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI).
3)Requires the SPI to do the following: a) identify schools for
the program (targeting 30% of public middle and high schools
with the highest poverty rates); b) develop the pledge; c)
consult with CCC, the University of California (UC), the
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California State University (CSU), and the California Student
Aid Commission (CSAC); d) perform other administrative duties,
including developing letters to participating pupils outlining
college and financial aid information, as specified; and, e)
recommend to the Legislature by November 1, 2017, whether the
ECC should be continued, as specified.
4)Specifies that a pupil who signs the pledge commits to do the
following: a) meet all high school graduation requirements; )
enroll in college prep coursework (i.e., A-G courses), c) seek
to achieve proficiency in English and mathematics; d) complete
and file a FAFSA, and, e) meet application requirements for
university admission or enroll directly in a CCC within 12
months of high school graduation.
5)Requires school districts, through existing programs, to
provide information and services through middle and high
school years, including transcript reviews, financial aid
information, and college admission requirements, as specified.
This bill also requires participating pupils to receive a
booklet of college information.
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 institution 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
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.
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FISCAL EFFECT : General Fund administrative costs of
approximately $200,000 to the SPI to provide staff to administer
the ECC program, as specified.
COMMENTS : In May 2007, the Public Policy Institute of
California (PPIC) released a report indicating 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.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0006629