BILL NUMBER: SB 1550 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Wright
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
An act to add and repeal Section 78302 of the Education Code,
relating to community colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1550, as introduced, Wright. Community colleges: extension
courses.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, which
are administered by the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges. The governing board of any community college
district is authorized, without approval of the board of trustees, to
establish and maintain community service classes in civic,
vocational, literacy, health, homemaking, technical, and general
education, as specified.
This bill would authorize the governing board of any community
college district, without approval of the board of governors, to
establish and maintain an extension program offering credit courses.
The bill would require this program, if it offers career technical
education credit courses and workforce development courses, to be
self-supporting, open to the public, and developed in conformance
with specified statutory and regulatory guidelines. General Fund
moneys would not be expended to establish or maintain the courses,
nor would an extension program course be allowed to supplant
regularly funded courses. Extension courses would not be allowed to
reduce state-funded courses relating to basic skills. The bill would
require district boards to annually certify compliance with these
requirements, as specified.
This bill would allow community college districts to charge
students for the actual costs of the courses, as defined. Each
participating district would be required to collect and keep records
relating to the extension program and submit them to the chancellor's
office by October 1 of each year. This information would, in turn,
be submitted by the chancellor to the Legislative Analyst by November
1 of each year. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst to
submit a written report to the Legislature by November 1, 2015,
summarizing the information provided by the chancellor, assessing
compliance of the program with the Legislature's intent, and
suggesting any needed statutory improvements.
The provisions of the bill would remain in effect only until
January 1, 2020.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 78302 is added to the Education Code, to read:
78302. (a) The governing board of any community college district
may, without the approval of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, establish and maintain an extension program
offering credit courses.
(b) An extension program offering career technical education
credit courses and workforce development courses established under
this section shall have the following characteristics:
(1) The program shall be self-supporting, and all costs associated
with the program shall be recovered.
(2) Program enrollment shall be open to the public.
(3) The program shall be developed in conformance with the
Education Code and Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations
governing community college credit courses.
(4) The program shall be subject to district collective bargaining
agreements.
(c) The governing board of a community college district shall not
expend General Fund moneys to establish and maintain an extension
course.
(d) An extension credit course shall not supplant any course
funded with state apportionments. A community college district shall
not reduce a state-funded course section needed by students to
achieve basic skills, workforce training, or transfer goals, with the
intent of reestablishing those course sections as part of the
extension program. The governing board of a community college
district shall annually certify compliance with this subdivision by
board action taken at a regular session of the governing board.
(e) The governing board of a community college district may charge
students enrolled in an extension course a fee not to exceed the
actual cost of maintaining that extension course. An actual cost,
within the meaning of this subdivision, shall include the actual cost
of instruction, necessary equipment and supplies, student services
and institutional support, and other costs of the district used in
calculating the costs of education for nonresident students.
(f) A degree credit course offered as an extension course shall
meet all of the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 55002 of
Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations as it exists on January
1, 2013.
(g) (1) Each community college district maintaining an extension
program offering credit courses under this section shall collect and
keep records that measure student participation, student
demographics, and student outcomes in a manner consistent with
measures collected by community college districts in regular credit
programs supported through state apportionments, including an
analysis of program effects, if any, on district workload and
district financial status. A community college district shall submit
this information to the Office of the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges by October 1 of each year. For community college
districts operating more than one college, the evaluation shall be
for each participating college.
(2) The chancellor shall submit all of the information provided by
community college districts pursuant to paragraph (1) to the
Legislative Analyst by November 1 of each year. No later than January
1, 2015, the Legislative Analyst shall submit to the Legislature a
written report that includes a summary of the information provided
pursuant to this paragraph, an assessment of the extent to which
community college extension programs are operated in a manner
consistent with legislative intent, and suggestions to the
Legislature for needed statutory improvements. The report submitted
under this paragraph shall be submitted in compliance with Section
9795 of the Government Code.
(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends
that date.