BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1950
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          Date of Hearing:   May 7, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                     AB 1950 (Campos) - As Amended:  May 1, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              EducationVote:5-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill establishes the Career Education Incentive Program  
          which would provide one-to-one matching grant funds to school  
          districts, charter schools, county offices of education, and  
          community college districts for the purpose of regional career  
          technical education (CTE) programs.  Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires, for the purpose of participating in the Career  
            Education Incentive Program, a consortium to enter into an  
            agreement among the participating local educational agencies  
            (LEAs) for the purpose of developing and maintaining career  
            education programs aligned with California CTE Standards and  
            Common Core State Standards (CCSS).


          2)Specifies a consortium may be composed of school districts,  
            county offices of education, charter schools, and community  
            college districts and specifies consortia may be organized as  
            a joint powers authority (JPA).


          3)Provides the funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act to be  
            available to career education consortia as a one-to-one  
            matching grant for career exploration activities in grades 7  
            and 8 as specified, and for career preparation activities in  
            any of the grades 9 - 12, inclusive, as specified.   
            Additionally, funds can be provided for ongoing professional  
            development.


          4)Permits consortia to use revenues from state, local, or  
            private funding sources for the purpose of its funding match.








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          5)Requires consortia to collect and report, annually, to the  
            governing boards of the member LEAs and member community  
            college districts, as applicable, various data components.


          6)Encourages collaboration among LEAs, community colleges, and  
            private industry to develop a system of integrated and  
            comprehensive programs.


          7)Makes consortia eligible to receive grant funds equal to the  
            current school year's actual expenditures made for the  
            purposes and programs that support college and career  
            readiness as described in the school district's LCAP.


          8)Requires the governing body of the consortium to annually  
            adopt a plan that includes the purpose and programs in place  
            to support the career and college programs, and limits state  
            matching funds to expended only in accordance with this plan.


          9)Requires the fiscal agent of the consortia, as defined, to  
            report, no later than October 1 of each school year in which  
            state matching funds were expended, the amount expended for  
            each purpose and program in the prior school year.


           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Unknown GF/Proposition 98 costs, in the millions of dollars, to  
          support a new Career Education Incentive grant program.  This  
          bill establishes a new grant program similar to the California  
          Career Pathways Trust established in the 2013-14 Budget Act.   
          The budget provides $250 million in one-time competitive grants  
          to improve linkages between CTE programs, at K-12 schools,  
          community colleges and local businesses.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . In 2013, the SBE adopted revised CTE Model Curriculum  
            Standards. These CTE standards, are customized to better  
            reflect the specific conditions and expectations of each  








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            industry sector.  Standards for Career Ready Practices, within  
            the CCSS, are intended for all students and are in response to  
            the expectation of career and college readiness upon  
            completion of the high school experience.

            Under current law, districts are required to adopt alternative  
            means for pupils to complete the prescribed course of study  
            which may include practical demonstration of skills and  
            competencies, supervised work experience or other outside  
            school experience, CTE classes, courses offered by ROC/Ps,  
            interdisciplinary study, independent study, and credit earned  
            at a postsecondary institution.  Districts also have the  
            option of adopting alternatives for pupils to complete high  
            school graduation requirements. 

            The author contends this bill provides for well planned,  
            rigorous, and measureable courses of study or course sequences  
            in CTE and creates a financial incentive to regionalize CTE  
            programs while still allowing LEAs the flexibility in  
            determining which CTE programs work best for them and their  
            student population.
           
          2)Similar program exists  . The Career Education Incentive Program  
            established under this bill is similar to an existing pilot  
            program, the California Career Pathways Trust, established in  
            the 2013-14 Budget Act.  

            The California Career Pathways Trust, provides $250 million in  
            one-time competitive grant funding for the development of  
            career pathway programs. The grant funding will be made  
            available to school districts, county superintendents of  
            school, charter schools, and community college districts  
            beginning in the 2014-15 fiscal year through the 2017-18  
            fiscal year. The purpose of the Career Pathways Trust is to  
            establish regional partnerships with business, K-12 schools  
            and community colleges in order to better prepare students for  
            college and the workforce. The SPI is required to consult with  
            the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and  
            business organizations in considering grant applications.  
            Grant recipients are required to report outcome measures by  
            December 1, 2016. These outcome measures include academic  
            indicators, graduation rates, employment or apprenticeship  
            placements, and attainment of certificates, transfer, or  
            postsecondary enrollment.









                                                                  AB 1950
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           Analysis Prepared by  :    Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081