BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: ACR 119
AUTHOR: Muratsuchi
AMENDED: June 2, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 11, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lenin Del Castillo
SUBJECT : Community college career technical education.
SUMMARY
This resolution encourages the California community college
districts, in consultation with affected stakeholders, as
specified, to develop at least three options to address the
long-term funding needs of career technical education and
other workforce and training programs at the community
college campuses.
BACKGROUND
The California community college system is the nation's
largest system of higher education, comprised of 112 colleges
that serve more than 2.3 million students per year. Under
the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the primary
mission of the community college system is to provide
low-cost post-secondary education for any interested
Californian. Its mission includes providing lower-division
academic coursework that could lead to transfer to four-year
colleges, career-technical education, basic skills education,
and enrichment courses.
ANALYSIS
This resolution makes the following declarations and
findings:
1) The California Community Colleges comprises the
nation's largest system of higher education with 112
colleges that serve more than 2.3 million students each
academic year;
2) The community colleges play an important role in
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boosting our state's economy and providing students with
the education, training, and skills necessary to keep
our state and nation globally competitive;
3) The community colleges offer a broad array of
career-oriented courses, certificates, and associate
degrees through career technical education (CTE) and
other workforce and training programs;
4) Recent high school graduates, underemployed and
unemployed adults, incumbent workers searching for
career advancement, veterans, and college graduates
seeking retraining can all benefit from CTE and other
workforce and training programs;
5) A college degree or industry-recognized certificate
is the principal pathway to personal economic security;
6) After several years of budget cuts during the
recession, California community college, career
technical education (CTE), and other workforce and
training course offerings have been reduced;
7) California has seen cutbacks of more than $500
million in programs that prepare individuals for
employment;
8) CTE and other workforce and training programs are
often expensive due to the need for smaller class sizes
and specialized equipment and facilities;
9) Prioritizing existing CTE and other workforce and
training resources in major regional industry sectors
may help close the skills gap in our state's labor
force;
10) CTE and other workforce and training programs in the
California Community Colleges lack adequate long-term
funding to meet the needs of today's growing economy;
and
11) Any change to funding for CTE and other workforce and
training programs at the California Community Colleges
requires the enactment of legislation.
This resolution also resolves:
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1) That the Legislature encourages the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges, in consultation with
affected stakeholders, including, but not limited to,
experts in the field of CTE, business and industry
representatives, faculty, and organized labor
representatives to develop at least three options to
address the long-term funding needs of CTE and other
workforce and training programs at the campuses of the
California Community Colleges, in a manner that
adequately funds the programs that regions deem valuable
to their economies, and to submit those options to the
Legislature before June 1, 2015; and
2) That it is the intent of the Legislature during the
2015-16 Regular Session to address the long-term funding
needs of CTE and other workforce and training programs
at the campuses of the California Community Colleges.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author's office, by
2018, 64 percent of all jobs will require workers with
education or training beyond a high school degree.
Prioritizing existing CTE and other workforce and
training resources in regional sectors may help close
the skills gap in our state's labor force. Despite the
impact that CTE and workforce development programs have
on the state's workforce, California has seen cutbacks
of more than $500 million to programs that prepare
individual for employment in recent years. The author's
office indicates that with the relatively high costs of
offering community college CTE programs due to their
need for smaller class sizes, instructional equipment,
and the cost of maintaining partnerships with business
and industry, there is a constraint on maintaining and
increasing program offerings that meet the needs of
regional economies. As a result, the career technical
education (CTE) and workforce programs have lacked
adequate long-term funding.
ACR 119 seeks to address the long-term funding needs of
CTE and other workforce and training programs within the
community colleges and advance California's economic
growth and global competitiveness.
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2) Current efforts . The Economic and Workforce Development
(EWD) program within the CCC Chancellor's Office is
currently performing similar activities to which ACR 119
proposes. The EWD has conducted research, collected
data, and organized stakeholder meetings to bridge the
gap between workforce needs and skills training provided
by community colleges and determine not only how to best
fund workforce and economic development but also how to
get the various sectors to function with what funding
they currently have. The EWD serves as the
administrator for several streams of state and federal
funds, including the Career Technical Education Pathways
Initiative (SB 70) and the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act. The EWD collaborates with
employers, organized labor, local communities, and their
community colleges through programming supported by
these funds. The Economic Development Program Advisory
Committee and Workforce & Economic Performance Advisory
Committee are advisory bodies to the EWD.
SUPPORT
California Community College Association for Occupational
Education
California Business Education Association
California EDGE Coalition
California Forward Action Fund
California Labor Federation
California Professional Firefighters
California Workforce Association
Educators for Fair Consideration
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
State Building and Construction Trades Council
Torrance Unified School District
Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party
OPPOSITION
None on file.