BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 372 (Hernandez)
Hearing Date: 08/15/2011 Amended: 06/01/2011
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Education 8-0
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 372 requires the California Community Colleges
(CCC), as part of the matriculation process, to assess prior
college-level learning gained by veterans and military service
personnel through non-college credit means, as specified. This
bill makes legislative findings and declarations regarding
veterans.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
Mandate: CCCs Substantial reimbursable costs; likely
low millions General*
*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Existing law establishes a CCC matriculation program, and that
program has been funded as a categorical program. Matriculation
services to be made available by the colleges include, but are
not limited to: a) processing of admissions applications; b)
orientation and pre-orientation services concerning academic
expectations and financial assistance; and c) assessment and
counseling upon enrollment, as specified. In 2009-10,
matriculation program funding was cut by 52% (more than $50
million) in the Budget Act, and subject to categorical
flexibility.
This bill requires each CCC, as part of its matriculation
process, to assess prior college-level learning gained by
military service personnel and veterans through non-college
AB 372 (Hernandez)
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credit means. Specifically, it requires that a prior learning
assessment be determined by relevant faculty and related
equivalent educational credit awarded that meets the standards
of the American Council on Education, the Council for Adult and
Experiential Learning, or other equivalent standard for awarding
academic credits.
Currently, 50 CCCs participate in the voluntary Service Members
Opportunity Colleges (SOC) program, and conduct the assessments
required under this bill for military personnel. This bill would
require the 62 CCCs that do not currently participate in SOC to
take on these activities. This requirement is likely to
constitute a state reimbursable mandate, because it requires new
duties of CCCs that are currently optional. The CCC Chancellor's
Office estimates, based upon the experience of participating
CCCs, that first-year implementation cost for 62 new campuses
would be $6.2 million ($100,000 per campus) for the equivalent
of one full-time faculty position for training and research on
evaluation standards, reviewing college curriculum in relation
to the evaluation standards, reviewing student records,
interviewing and counseling students, and administrative
oversight of this process. Costs would vary by campus, depending
on how a CCC chooses to implement the new requirements. The CCCs
could claim reimbursement for all actual start-up costs to
implement these provisions.
The ongoing costs of maintaining the program would be
significantly lower; maintaining the program would cost each of
the 112 campuses approximately $25,000 annually. By establishing
this process as a state requirement, both the 62 new colleges
and the 50 colleges, which currently complete these activities
out of their respective budgets, will all be eligible for state
reimbursement of ongoing costs of approximately $2.8 million
statewide.
This bill states that districts are only required to implement
these learning/credit assessments "to the extent that
reimbursement for the prior learning assessment is provided by
the federal Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to
provisions of the federal Post-9/11 Veterans Educational
Assistance Act of 2008 or any other federal act establishing
veterans education benefits."
The aforementioned veterans benefits are individual benefits to
veterans. They could be used to cover any fees the college
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charges to take exams to assess prior learning, but those fees
would otherwise have been paid by the student to the CCC; there
would be no funding increase for CCCs. Moreover, veterans
benefits cannot be used to create college administrative
processes or infrastructure. The substantial mandate on a CCC to
create and implement a new component of its matriculation
program is not lessened by this provision.
To the extent that more CCCs participate in the SOC program,
those CCCs will likely experience some efficiencies. Granting
course credit for prior learning would likely allow qualifying
veterans to transfer more quickly to universities, instead of
enrolling in additional courses. Participation would also free
up spots for other students in certain courses that veterans
might otherwise fill, especially since recent veterans receive
priority enrollment in CCC courses.