AB 1942, as amended, Bonta. Community colleges: accreditation.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, which consists of 16 voting members and one nonvoting member, as specified. Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to establish minimum conditions entitling a community college district to receive state aid for the support of the community colleges.
This bill would require the board of governors, in determining whether a community college district satisfies those minimum conditions, to review the accreditation status of the community colleges within that district.
Under its existing regulatory authority, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges requires each community college to be accredited and has designated the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges as the accrediting agency.
This bill would require the accrediting agency of the community colleges to report to the appropriate subcommittees of the Legislature upon the agency’s issuance of a decision that affects the accreditation status of a community college and, on a biannual basis, any accreditation policy changes that affect the accreditation process or status for a community college.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 70901 of the Education Code is amended
2to read:
(a) The Board of Governors of the California
4Community Colleges shall provide leadership and direction in the
5continuing development of the California Community Colleges as
6an integral and effective element in the structure of public higher
7education in the state. The work of the board of governors shall at
8all times be directed to maintaining and continuing, to the
9maximum degree permissible, local authority and control in the
10administration of the California Community Colleges.
11(b) Subject to, and in furtherance of, subdivision (a), and in
12consultation with community college districts and other interested
13parties as specified in subdivision (e), the board of governors shall
14provide
general supervision over community college districts, and
15shall, in furtherance of those purposes, perform the following
16functions:
17(1) Establish minimum standards as required by law, including,
18but not limited to, the following:
19(A) Minimum standards to govern student academic standards
20relating to graduation requirements and probation, dismissal, and
21readmission policies.
P3 1(B) Minimum standards for the employment of academic and
2administrative staff in community colleges.
3(C) Minimum standards for the formation of community colleges
4and districts.
5(D) Minimum standards for credit and noncredit classes.
6(E) Minimum standards governing procedures established by
7governing boards of community college districts to ensure faculty,
8staff, and students the right to participate effectively in district and
9college governance, and the opportunity to express their opinions
10at the campus level and to ensure that these opinions are given
11every reasonable consideration, and the right of academic senates
12to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in
13the areas of curriculum and academic standards.
14(2) Evaluate and issue annual reports on the fiscal and
15educational effectiveness of community college districts according
16to outcome measures cooperatively developed with those districts,
17and provide assistance when districts encounter severe management
18difficulties.
19(3) Conduct necessary systemwide research on community
20colleges and provide appropriate information services, including,
21but not limited to, definitions for the purpose of uniform reporting,
22collection, compilation, and analysis of data for effective planning
23and coordination, and dissemination of information.
24(4) Provide representation, advocacy, and accountability for the
25California Community Colleges before state and national legislative
26and executive agencies.
27(5) Administer state support programs, both operational and
28capital outlay, and those federally supported programs for which
29the board of governors has responsibility pursuant to state or federal
30law. In so doing, the board of governors shall do the following:
31(A) (i) Annually prepare and adopt a proposed budget for the
32California Community Colleges. The proposed budget shall, at a
33minimum, identify the total revenue needs for serving educational
34needs within the mission, the amount to be expended for the state
35general apportionment, the amounts requested for various
36categorical programs established by law, the amounts requested
37for new programs and budget improvements, and the amount
38requested for systemwide administration.
39(ii) The proposed budget for the California Community Colleges
40shall be submitted to the Department of Finance in accordance
P4 1with established timelines for development of the annual Budget
2Bill.
3(B) To the extent authorized
by law, establish the method for
4determining and allocating the state general apportionment.
5(C) Establish space and utilization standards for facility planning
6in order to determine eligibility for state funds for construction
7purposes.
8(6) (A) Establish minimum conditions entitling districts to
9receive state aid for support of community colleges. In so doing,
10the board of governors shall establish and carry out a periodic
11review of each community college district to determine whether
12it has met the minimum conditions prescribed by the board of
13governors.
14(B) In determining whether a community college district satisfies
15the minimum conditions established pursuant to this section, the
16board of
governors shall review the accreditation status of the
17community colleges within that district.
18(7) Coordinate and encourage interdistrict, regional, and
19statewide development of community college programs, facilities,
20and services.
21(8) Facilitate articulation with other segments of higher
22education with secondary education.
23(9) Review and approve comprehensive plans for each
24community college district. The plans shall be submitted to the
25board of governors by the governing board of each community
26college district.
27(10) Review and approve all educational programs offered by
28community college districts, and all courses that are not offered
29as part of
an educational program approved by the board of
30governors.
31(11) Exercise general supervision over the formation of new
32community college districts and the reorganization of existing
33community college districts, including the approval or disapproval
34of plans therefor.
35(12) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, be solely
36responsible for establishing, maintaining, revising, and updating,
37as necessary, the uniform budgeting and accounting structures and
38procedures for the California Community Colleges.
39(13) Establish policies regarding interdistrict attendance of
40students.
P5 1(14) Advise and assist governing boards of community college
2districts
on the implementation and interpretation of state and
3federal laws affecting community colleges.
4(15) Contract for the procurement of goods and services, as
5necessary.
6(16) Carry out other functions as expressly provided by law.
7(c) Subject to, and in furtherance of, subdivision (a), the board
8of governors shall have full authority to adopt rules and regulations
9necessary and proper to execute the functions specified in this
10section as well as other functions that the board of governors is
11expressly authorized by statute to regulate.
12(d) Wherever in this section or any other statute a power is
13vested in the board of governors, the board of governors, by a
14majority
vote, may adopt a rule delegating that power to the
15chancellor, or any officer, employee, or committee of the California
16Community Colleges, or community college district, as the board
17of governors may designate. However, the board of governors
18shall not delegate any power that is expressly made nondelegable
19by statute. Any rule delegating authority shall prescribe the limits
20of delegation.
21(e) In performing the functions specified in this section, the
22board of governors shall establish and carry out a process for
23consultation with institutional representatives of community college
24districts so as to ensure their participation in the development and
25review of policy proposals. The consultation process shall also
26afford community college organizations, as well as interested
27individuals and parties, an opportunity to review and comment on
28proposed
policy before it is adopted by the board of governors.
Section 72208 is added to the Education Code, to read:
(a) The accrediting agency for the community colleges
31shall report to the appropriate policy and budget subcommittees
32of the Legislature upon the issuance of a decision that affects the
33accreditation status of a community college and, on a biannual
34basis, any accreditation policy changes that affect the accreditation
35process or status for a community college.
36(b) The Office of the Chancellor of the California Community
37Colleges shall ensure that the appropriate policy and budget
P6 1subcommittees of the Legislature are provided the information
2requiredbegin delete inend deletebegin insert
to be reported pursuant toend insert subdivision (a).
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