BILL NUMBER: SB 515 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Hancock
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
An act to amend Section 52302 of the Education Code, relating to
career technical education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 515, as introduced, Hancock. Career technical education.
Existing law requires the governing board of each regional
occupational center or program, on or before July 1, 2010, to ensure
that at least 90% of all state-funded courses offered by the center
or program, in occupational areas in which both the program or center
and the community college offer instruction, are part of
occupational course sequences that target comprehensive skills.
Existing law additionally requires, as a condition of receiving
federal funds provided under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and
Applied Technology Education Act of 1998, and to the extent permitted
under federal law, that school districts, regional occupational
centers or programs, and community college districts comply with
specified requirements relating to the development of course
sequences.
This bill would additionally require, as a condition of receiving
federal funds provided under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and
Applied Technology Education Act of 1998, and to the extent permitted
under federal law, that school districts, regional occupational
centers or programs, and community college districts demonstrate on
or before January 1, 2012, that at least half of the course sequences
offered for students in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, are linked to
high priority workforce needs in the career sectors identified by the
State Department of Labor and Workforce Development for the State of
California or for the economic region where the regional
occupational center or program, community college district, or school
district is located. School districts and regional occupational
centers or programs operated in a rural county of the 6th, 7th, or
8th class, and school districts with an average daily attendance of
fewer than 500 pupils would be exempt from this requirement.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Regional occupational centers and programs, partnership
academies, adult education programs, and career technical education
programs in secondary and postsecondary institutions funded by the
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of
1998 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 2301 et seq.) have benefitted from the state's
recent adoption of career technical education standards for courses
in the 15 career sectors.
(b) As a result of recent legislation, career technical education
programs have significantly increased the available sequences of
courses leading to skills certificates and articulation agreements
between secondary schools and community colleges.
(c) The development of the newly adopted California Career
Technical Education Plan outlines a coordinated vision for career
technical education programs in secondary and postsecondary
institutions.
(d) The need for highly skilled workers in high priority career
sectors, as documented by the State Department of Labor and Workforce
Development and the Workforce Investment Board, outpaces the number
of qualified individuals available.
SEC. 2. Section 52302 of the Education Code is amended to read:
52302. (a) On or before July 1, 2010, the governing board of each
regional occupational center or program shall ensure that at least
90 percent of all state-funded courses offered by the center or
program, in occupational areas in which both the program or center
and the community college offer instruction, are part of occupational
course sequences that target comprehensive skills. Each occupational
sequence shall do all of the following:
(1) Result in an occupational skill certificate developed in
cooperation with the appropriate employer advisory board created
under Section 52302.2.
(2) Provide prerequisite courses that are needed to enter
apprenticeship or postsecondary vocational certificate or degree
programs. Where possible, sequenced courses shall be linked to
certificate and degree programs in the region.
(3) Focus on occupations requiring comprehensive skills leading to
high entry-level wages or the possibility of significant wage
increases after a few years on the job, or both.
(4) Offer as many courses as possible that have been approved by
the University of California as courses meeting the "A-G" admissions
requirements.
(b) (1) On or before July 1, 2008, the governing board of each
regional occupational center or program shall develop a plan for
establishing sequences of courses, and certify to the department,
that those sequences have been developed, as described in subdivision
(a). The board shall consult with the superintendents of the school
districts served by the center or program and presidents of community
colleges in the area during the development of the plan.
(2) The plan shall be presented at a public hearing by the
governing board of each school district served by the regional
occupational center or program and by the county board of education.
(3) Community college boards with identified articulated programs
shall also review the plans in a public session.
(4) In developing the plan, each regional occupational program or
center shall consult with school districts and community college
districts located within the region served by the program or center
and with the relevant occupational advisers and local workforce
investment board to ensure the plan meets the vocational education
needs of high school pupils in the region by providing sequences of
courses that begin with middle or high school introductory courses,
including, but not limited to, occupational skill courses provided by
high schools or regional occupational programs or centers.
(5) The plan shall maximize the use of local, state, and federal
resources in helping high school pupils enter comprehensive skill
occupations or apprenticeship programs, or continue education in
college, or all of these, after graduating from high school.
(6) The plan shall include strategies for filling gaps in courses
or other services needed to make the sequences effective in meeting
the needs of pupils in developing skills and attending community
college upon graduation from high school.
(7) Each center or program shall submit a copy of the approved
plan to the appropriate community college or colleges in the region
and the Superintendent on or before September 1, 2008. Every four
years after this date, on or before July 1, each center and program
shall submit an update to the plan to the local community college or
colleges and the Superintendent.
(c) As a condition of receiving federal funds provided under the
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of
1998 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 2301 et seq.), or a successor of that act, and
to the extent permitted by federal law, school districts, regional
occupational centers or programs, and community college districts
shall do all of the following:
(1) Develop course sequences that meet the requirements of this
section according to the schedule set forth in this paragraph.
(A) On or before July 1, 2008, school districts, regional
occupational centers or programs, and community college districts
shall have adopted an approved plan as required under this section.
(B) On or before July 1, 2009, school districts, regional
occupational centers or programs, and community college districts
shall have established course sequences as required under this
section that include at least one-third of the courses offered by the
regional occupational center or program in occupational areas in
which both the program or center and the community college offer
instruction.
(C) On or before July 1, 2010, school districts, regional
occupational centers or programs, and community college districts
shall have established course sequences as required under this
section that include at least two-thirds of the courses offered by
the regional occupational center or program in occupational areas in
which both the program or center and the community college offer
instruction.
(D) On or before January 1, 2012, school districts, regional
occupational centers or programs, and community college districts
shall demonstrate that at least half of the course sequences offered
for students in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, are linked to high
priority workforce needs in the career sectors identified by the
State Department of Labor and Workforce Development for the State of
California, or for the economic region where the regional
occupational center or program, community college district, or school
district is located. School districts and regional occupational
centers or programs operated in a rural county of the sixth, seventh,
or eighth class, and school districts with an average daily
attendance of fewer than 500 pupils are exempt from the requirements
of this subparagraph. However, these exempted programs are encouraged
to work with local workforce investment boards to ensure that
students enrolled in career technical education programs will have
obtained skills linked to the workforce needs in the region.
(2) Provide pupils who are participating in vocational sequences
with information and experiences designed to increase their
postgraduation work and school options, including, but not limited
to, all of the following:
(A) Information about the admissions requirements of the
University of California and California State University.
(B) Information about the placement requirements of the local
community college or colleges.
(C) Information about higher education options related to the
interests of the pupil.
(D) Encourage visits to local colleges and universities offering
programs that allow pupils to gain additional skills and degrees in
related occupations.
(E) Information and referrals to employers for internships, summer
employment opportunities, and employment after graduation from high
school.
(3) School districts, regional occupational centers or programs,
and community college districts that do not develop course sequences
on or before the dates established under this subdivision, and have
not received a waiver under subdivision (d), shall enter into a
corrective action plan with the department and shall meet any
timelines established by the Superintendent.
(d) (1) The department, with the assistance of the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, shall meet with each
program or center and the community college or colleges in the
region no later than the 2009-10 fiscal year to validate that course
sequences meeting the requirements of this section have been
developed. These meetings shall be conducted using the existing
resources of the department and shall be consistent with the
standards developed pursuant to Section 51226.
(2) The department and the office of the chancellor shall provide
technical assistance to programs or centers and community colleges
that have developed articulated sequences for less than half of the
courses offered by the program or center.
(3) The Superintendent may waive the requirements of subdivision
(a) for programs or centers and community colleges located in rural
areas of the state if the Superintendent finds that development of
sequences is infeasible because of the distance, travel time, or
safety between the center or program and the community college.