BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1663
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 18, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 1663 (Dickinson) - As Amended: April 11, 2012
SUBJECT : Pupil instruction: California State Summer School for
Mathematics and Science
SUMMARY : Requests the Regents of the University of California
(UC) to set a tuition fee for the California State Summer School
for Mathematics and Science program that corresponds to actual
program costs, up to but not exceeding $2810 per session in the
year 2012, and sets this amount as the base for future 5% annual
fee increases.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the California State Summer School for Mathematics
and Science program to provide academic development to enable
pupils with demonstrated academic excellence in mathematics
and science to receive intensive educational enrichment in
these subjects and an opportunity for pupils who wish to study
mathematics or science or to pursue careers that require a
high degree of skills in and knowledge of mathematics and
science.
2)Requests the Regents of the UC to operate the summer school
program and to set a tuition fee within a range that
corresponds to actual program costs, up to but not exceeding
$1,000 in the year 2000, and to increase this fee by an amount
of up to 5% each year thereafter.
3)Specifies that pupils who have demonstrated academic
excellence in mathematics and science and who meet one of the
following criteria shall be eligible for admission:
a) The pupil graduated, or will graduate, from the 8th
grade at the end of the school year immediately preceding
the summer school session for which he or she is applying;
b) The pupil is currently enrolled in any of grades 9 to
12, inclusive; or,
c) The pupil graduated from high school during the school
year immediately preceding the summer school session for
which he or she is applying.
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4)Expresses the intent of the Legislature that at least 50% but
not more than 75% of the actual costs of the California State
Summer School for Mathematics and Science program would be
financed by state funds and the balance of the operating costs
would be financed with fees and private support.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Background : The California State Summer School for
Mathematics and Science, also known as, COSMOS, is an intensive
four-week summer residential program for pupils with a
demonstrated aptitude for academic and professional careers in
the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
fields. Pupils completing grades 8-12 have the opportunity to
work with faculty, researchers, and scientists while exploring
advanced STEM topics beyond those usually offered in California
high schools. The program exists at four UC campuses: UC Davis,
UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz. The pupil
participants appear to be closely split between male and female
according to data from 2006-2010, during which time 50.4% males
and 49.6% females enrolled in the program. Enrollment data from
the same time frame shows that Asian students made up 48.1% of
COSMOS participants followed by 24.2% White, 17.5%
Chicano/Latino, 2.3% African American, and 0.3% American Indian
pupils.
Purpose of the bill : This bill revises the statute to reflect
the current in-state tuition fees assessed for the COSMOS
program and sets the base tuition fees at $2810 for the year
2012.
Current law specifies that the UC Regents may set a tuition fee
within a range that corresponds to actual program costs, up to
but not exceeding $1000 per session in the year 2000, and may
increase this fee by an amount up to 5% each year thereafter.
From the year 2000 to 2005 the program fees were increased by 5%
each year. However, in 2005, Senate Bill (SB) 755 (Poochigian),
Chapter 676, Statutes of 2005 increased the tuition level to a
maximum of $2200 for the year 2006 thus representing an
allowable 72% increase from the 2005 level. The statutes
setting the base fees at $2200 became inoperative and were
repealed on January 1, 2008. The tuition fees were not restored
to the 2005 level, and rather continued to increase by 5% every
year thereafter, thus resulting in a tuition fee of $2810 for
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the year 2012. This bill codifies this tuition fee level and
continues to limit fee increases to a maximum of 5% per year.
The provisions allowing for the 2006 increase in fees were
amended into SB 755 (Poochigian), a bill dealing with the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. The
provisions dealing with COSMOS were added to the bill very late
in the legislative process and without a policy or fiscal
committee hearing on these amendments. It is uncertain as to
what the rationale was for increasing the fees for two years
only, or what circumstance may have led to the need to increase
the fees. It should be noted that in 2005, a fourth program
campus started up and the state level per-pupil funding
decreased drastically that year.
The University of California, the sponsor of this bill, contends
that the fact that the 2006-2007 statutes were not extended was
an inadvertent oversight on the part of the UC and this bill
seeks to correct it. The author states, "This bill represents a
clarifying technical fix to the Education Code to reflect the
tuition that COSMOS is charging California residents for 2012
($2,810) - and would request that the UC Regents continue to
raise annual tuition for California residents by no more than 5%
annually. Current Education Code language is outdated because it
references the year 2000, with a tuition level of $1,000, as the
base for future tuition increases. Legislation in 2005 raised
the tuition level beyond the 2000 base amount but has since
sunsetted, creating a need to update the Education Code."
According to the UC, establishing the fees at the current levels
will ensure that the program continues to serve and admit
students at a level consistent with the number of pupils the
program has served over the years.
Alternatively, this section of the Education Code could be
amended in a way to reflect the tuition amount without the 2006
increase, however that would result in a reduction in the number
of students admitted to the program, and could result in the
closure of one of the four campus programs. If the fees had
been reverted in 2008, the fees would be $1791 for 2012.
According to the sponsor, if this bill were to set the fees at
the $1791 level for 2012, it would have the effect of reducing
the number of participating students by 282 students in 2012.
Given the high demand for this program - as demonstrated by the
2596 current year applicants for 665 spots- it appears it may
not be prudent to set the fees at this lower level.
AB 1663
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Current statutes provide guidelines for tuition fees,
eligibility criteria, and other program elements, relative to
the operation of COSMOS. Nevertheless these statues request,
and do not require, the UC Regents to operate the program as
outlined in the statutes. The UC's constitutional autonomy
places limitations on legislative control over the UC. The
California Constitution (Section 9 of Article IX) establishes UC
as a public trust and confers the full powers of the UC upon the
UC Regents. The Constitution establishes that the UC is subject
to legislative control only to the degree necessary to ensure
the security of its funds and compliance with the terms of its
endowments. However, it can be argued that the UC's failure to
restore the fees to the 2005 levels was inconsistent with
legislative intent.
Financial aid : In terms of student participation, currently 30%
of COSMOS students receive some sort of financial aid. Current
statutes express the intent of the Legislature that the UC award
full or partial scholarships on the basis of need and that
pupils who are unable to pay all or part of the fee may petition
the UC for a fee reduction or waiver to ensure that a qualified
applicant is not denied admission solely because of his or her
inability to pay part or all of the fee. Current statutes
express the intent of the Legislature that the state fund at
least 50%, but no more than 75% of the program's actual costs,
and that the balance of the costs are to be financed with fees
and private support. The full program cost per attendee is
$6,500, and state funds currently support 41% of program
expenses.
Program evaluation : Previous legislative reports on COSMOS
(submitted in 2004 and 2006), contain evidence supporting the
assertion that COSMOS is realizing the short-term goals the
Legislature intended to provide outstanding students
opportunities to explore STEM disciplines. There is some
evidence that supports the notion that student participation in
COSMOS is having the desired mid- to long-term effects of
encouraging participants to pursue STEM disciplines as
undergraduates and graduate students, and in their careers. The
2008 evaluation of the program notes that a random survey of
alumni was conducted and of the 17 alumni that responded 85%
were pursuing a STEM discipline or were planning to declare an
undergraduate major in a STEM field. The evaluation also
includes information from survey follow-up interview questions
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designed to determine how participation in COSMOS influenced
participant choices with regards to educational or career
objectives. Out of the 17 random alumni interviews, three
answered that they did not think COSMOS had an impact, while 14
thought it did, and were able to articulate their belief that
COSMOS had an impact on their current objectives.
Author's statement: "COSMOS helps California meet its need for
a talented workforce by encouraging the brightest students in
high schools across the state to continue their interest in STEM
fields. COSMOS plays a vital role for the University of
California to help develop a talented STEM workforce that will
enhance the state's economic climate."
Previous legislation : Senate Bill 755 (Poochigian), Chapter
676, Statutes of 2005 changes some requirements of the STAR
program and increased the tuition cap of the COSMOS program to
$2200 for the year 2006 and repealed these provisions on January
1, 2008.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
University of California (Sponsor) (Prior version)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO (Prior version)
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avi�a / ED. / (916) 319-2087