BILL NUMBER: SB 850 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 16, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 1, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 10, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator Block
(Principal coauthor: Senator Hill)
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Beall, Correa, Hueso, Lara, Roth,
Torres, Vidak, and Wyland)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Chávez)
JANUARY 9, 2014
An act to add and re peal Article 3
(commencing with Section 78040) to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7
of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary
education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 850, as amended, Block. Public postsecondary education:
community college districts: baccalaureate degree pilot program.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under
the administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary
education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors
to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor
of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes
community college districts, administered by governing boards,
throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide
instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained
by the districts.
Existing law requires community colleges to offer instruction
through, but not beyond, the 2nd year of college and authorizes
community colleges to grant associate degrees in arts and science.
This bill would, commencing January 1, 2015, authorize the board
of governors, in consultation with the California State University
and the University of California, to establish a statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot program at not more than 15 community
college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each,
to be determined by the chancellor and approved by the board of
governors, which would authorize governors.
The bill would prohibit each participating district to
offer from offering more than one type
of baccalaureate degree at one campus
program within the district, as specified. The bill would
require a district baccalaureate degree pilot program to commence by
the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, and would require a
student participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot program to
complete his or her degree by the end of the 2022-23
academic year. The bill would require participating community college
districts to meet specified requirements, including, but not limited
to, offering baccalaureate degrees degree
programs and program curricula not offered by the California
State University or the University of California, and in subject
areas with unmet workforce needs, as specified.
This bill would also require the governing board of a
participating community college district to submit certain
information items for review by the chancellor
and approval by the board of governors, including
including , among other things, the
administrative plan for the baccalaureate degree pilot
program. program and documentation of consultation
with the California State University and the University of
California. The bill would provide that the Department of
Finance and the Legislative Analyst's Office shall jointly conduct a
statewide evaluation of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot
program implemented under this article, as specified, and to report
the results of the evaluation, in writing, to the Legislature and the
Governor on or before July 1, 2021. The bill would provide that the
board of governors shall develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding
model for the support of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot
program program, as specified.
This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2023,
and would repeal the provisions on January 1, 2024.
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. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) California needs to produce one million more baccalaureate
degrees than the state currently produces to remain economically
competitive in the coming decades.
(b) The 21st century workplace increasingly demands a higher level
of education in applied fields.
(c) There is demand for education beyond the associate degree
level in specific academic disciplines that is not currently being
met by California's four-year public institutions.
(d) Community colleges can help fill the gaps in our higher
education system by granting baccalaureate degrees in a limited
number of specific areas in order to meet a
growing demand for a skilled workforce.
(e) These baccalaureate programs will be limited and will not in
any way detract from the community colleges' traditional mission to
advance California's economic growth and global competitiveness
through education, training, and services that contribute to
continuous workforce improvement, nor will these programs
unnecessarily duplicate similar programs offered by nearby public
four-year institutions.
(f) Community colleges can provide a quality baccalaureate
education to their students, enabling place-bound local students and
military veterans the opportunity to earn the baccalaureate degree
needed for new job opportunities and promotion.
(g) Twenty-one other states, from Florida to Hawaii, already allow
their community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. California
is one of the most innovative states in the nation, and the
California Community Colleges will use that same innovative spirit to
produce more professionals in health, biotechnology, public safety,
and other needed fields.
SEC. 2. Article 3 (commencing with Section 78040) is added to
Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
to read:
Article 3. Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program
78040. For purposes of this article, "district" means any
community college district identified by the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges as participating in the statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot program. Each participating district may
establish one baccalaureate degree pilot program pursuant to Section
78041.
78041. Notwithstanding Section 66010.4, and commencing January 1,
2015, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges,
in consultation with the California State University and the
University of California, may authorize the establishment of district
baccalaureate degree pilot programs that meet all of the eligibility
requirements set forth in Section 78042. A district pilot program
established pursuant to this article shall commence no later than the
2017-18 academic year. A student participating in a baccalaureate
degree pilot program shall complete his or her degree by
the end of the 2022-23 academic year. For purposes of this section, a
pilot program commences when the first class of students begins the
program. The statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program shall
consist of a maximum of fifteen districts, with one
baccalaureate degree program each, to be determined by the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and
authorized approved by the Board of Governors of
the California Community Colleges.
78042. (a) A district shall seek approval to offer a
baccalaureate degree program through the appropriate accreditation
body.
(b) When seeking authorization approval
from the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges, a district shall maintain the primary mission of the
California Community Colleges specified in paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) of Section 66010.4. The district, as part of the
baccalaureate degree pilot program, shall have the additional mission
to provide high-quality undergraduate education at an affordable
price for students and the state.
(c) A district shall not offer more than one type of
baccalaureate degree program , as determined by
the governing board of the district and approved by the
Governing Board Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges, and subject to the following
limitations:
(1) A district shall identify and document unmet workforce needs
in the subject area of the baccalaureate degree to be offered and
offer a baccalaureate degree at a campus in a subject area with unmet
workforce needs in the local community or region of the district.
(2) A baccalaureate degree pilot program shall not offer a
baccalaureate degree program or program curricula already
offered by the California State University or the University of
California.
(3) A district shall have the expertise, resources, and student
interest to offer a quality baccalaureate degree in the chosen field
of study.
(4) A district shall not offer a more than
one baccalaureate degree at more than one campus
program within the district.
district, which shall be limited to one campus within the
district.
(5) A district shall notify a student who applies to the district'
s baccalaureate degree pilot program that the student is required to
complete his or her baccalaureate degree by the end of the 2022-23
academic year, as specified in Section 78041.
(d) A district shall maintain separate records for students who
are enrolled in courses classified in the upper division and lower
division of a baccalaureate program. A student shall be reported as a
community college student for enrollment in a lower division course
and as a baccalaureate degree program student for enrollment in an
upper division course.
(e) A governing board of a district seeking authorization to offer
a baccalaureate degree pilot program shall submit all of the
following for review by the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and approval by the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges:
(1) The administrative plan for the baccalaureate degree pilot
program.
(2) The A description of the
baccalaureate degree pilot program's curriculum, faculty, and
facilities.
(3) The enrollment projections for the baccalaureate degree pilot
program.
(4) Documentation regarding unmet workforce needs specifically
related to the proposed baccalaureate degree pilot program.
(5) Documentation of consultation with the California State
University and the University of California regarding collaborative
approaches to meeting regional workforce needs.
(f) (1) The Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges shall develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for
the support of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program that
is based on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent
students enrolled in the all district
pilot programs.
(2) Funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at an
agreed upon marginal cost calculation that shall not exceed the
California State Universities University's
marginal cost calculation. c
alculation for a full-time equivalent student.
(3) Each A student in a
baccalaureate degree pilot program authorized by this article shall
not be charged fees higher than the mandatory systemwide fees charged
for baccalaureate degree programs at the California State
University.
(4) Fees for upper division coursework in a baccalaureate degree
pilot program shall be set and approved by the Legislature in a
manner consistent with the setting of fees for lower division
coursework at the California Community Colleges. Fees for lower
division coursework in a baccalaureate degree pilot program shall not
exceed the fees for other lower division coursework offered by the
California Community Colleges.
(g) (1) The Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst's
Office shall jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the statewide
baccalaureate degree pilot program implemented under
pursuant to this article. The results of the
evaluation shall be reported, in writing, to the Legislature and the
Governor on or before July 1, 2021. The evaluation required by this
section shall consider all of the following:
(A) The number of new district baccalaureate degree pilot programs
implemented, including information identifying the number of new
programs, applicants, admissions, enrollments, and degree recipients.
(B) The extent to which the baccalaureate degree pilot programs
established under this article are fulfilling
fulfill identified workforce needs for new
baccalaureate degree programs, including statewide supply and demand
data that considers capacity at the California State University, the
University of California, and in California's independent colleges
and universities.
(C) Information on the place of employment of students and the
subsequent job placement of graduates.
(D) Baccalaureate degree program costs and the funding sources
that were used to finance these programs, including a calculation of
cost per degree awarded.
(E) The costs of the baccalaureate degree programs to students,
the amount of financial aid offered, and student debt levels of
graduates of the programs.
(F) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for the
baccalaureate degree pilot programs.
(G) The extent to which the programs established under this
article are in compliance with the requirements of this article.
(2) A district shall submit the information necessary to conduct
the evaluation require required by
paragraph (1), as determined by the evaluators, to the Chancellor of
the California Community Colleges, who shall provide the information
to the evaluators upon request.
(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
78043. This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2023, and
as of January 1, 2024, is repealed, unless a later
enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or
extends that date.