California Assembly Bill AB555 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 555AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 6, 2009 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2009 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Portantino and Furutani FEBRUARY 25, 2009 An act to add and repeal Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 48805) of Chapter 5 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 555, as amended, Portantino. Community colleges: attendance by secondary school pupils: partnerships. Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges  , and requires the board to appoint an executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges  . Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to authorize pupils, with parental permission, who would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work, to attend community college as special part-time students to undertake one or more courses of instruction at the community college level, in order to provide educational enrichment opportunities for a limited number of eligible pupils. This bill would authorize the Kern, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Rios, and San Jose-Evergreen community college districts to enter into partnerships with school districts to provide secondary school pupils  who have exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course at the high school of attendance, adult education program, continuation school, regional occupational center or program, or any other program offered by the local governing board  with the opportunity to benefit from advanced scholastic, career-technical, or vocational coursework. The bill would require, for each partnership entered into pursuant to the bill, the affected community college district and school district to submit an annual report containing prescribed data.  The bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to conduct an evaluation of the pilot project and submit it to the Legislature, the Director of Finance, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction by December 1, 2013.  These provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2015. 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) Campuses of the California Community Colleges are located throughout California, providing an educational resource for all communities. (b) Some secondary school pupils are allowed to take classes at community colleges. These pupils are called "special-admits," and they participate in "concurrent enrollment programs," mainly targeted at "advanced education," primarily defined as college-level work. (c) There are strict limits on this activity in law, providing these opportunities to only 5 percent of any high school class and restricting the types of classes pupils may take to include only "advanced education" in most cases. (d) The current restrictions inhibit local ability to make maximum use of community college facilities and opportunities, and the time has come to encourage and expand these valuable programs. (e) Allowing high school pupils to take community college courses could provide benefits to pupils and to the state in a wide array of opportunities, including more opportunities for advanced scholastic work, career-technical partnerships and coursework, and dropout prevention. (f) Exposure to college classes and the college environment while in high school improves college participation rates. (g) Concurrent enrollment saves money for both the state and the students through increased time to completion and provides for more effective use of facilities through joint use. SEC. 2. Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 48805) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: Article 1.5. Partnerships Between Community College Districts and School Districts 48805. The following community college districts shall be the only districts eligible to enter into a partnership under this article: (a) Kern. (b) Long Beach. (c) Los Angeles. (d) Los Rios. (e) San Jose-Evergreen. 48806. (a) (1)  The   Notwithstanding Section 48800, the  governing board of a community college district may enter into a formal partnership with a school district or school districts located within its immediate service area to provide  elementary and  secondary school pupils  who have exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course at the high school of attendance, adult education program, continuation school, regional occupational   center or program, or any other programs offered by the local governing board  with the opportunity to benefit from advanced scholastic, career-technical, or vocational coursework.  A secondary school pupil, upon notification of the principal of the pupil's school of attendance that the pupil has exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course   at the high school of attendance, adult education program, continuation school, regional occupational center or program, or any other program offered by the local governing board, and with parental consent if the pupil is under 18 years of age, may attend a community college during any session or term as a special part-time or full-time student.  (2) A participating community college district shall adopt a partnership agreement with each school district partner. The partnership agreement shall be approved by the governing board of the community college district and the governing board of the school district. (3) (A) The partnership agreement shall outline the terms of the partnership, and may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the scope, nature, and schedule of courses offered. The partnership agreement may establish protocols for information sharing and joint facilities use. (B) A copy of the partnership agreement shall be filed with the State Department of Education and with the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges prior to the start of a program authorized by this article.  (4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any applicable open course and facilities requirements that are operative either in statute or in regulations of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges shall be waived for any community college district that enters into an agreement pursuant to this article for instruction for secondary school pupils on a campus of the partner school district.   (5)   (4)  It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this article, to provide a smoother transition from high school to college for pupils by providing them with greater exposure to the collegiate atmosphere, and to maximize the educational opportunities available to California's secondary school pupils by encouraging programs and partnerships between school districts and community college districts, including advanced scholastic, vocational, and career-technical coursework, summer school opportunities, and dropout intervention.  (6)   (5)  A community college district shall not provide physical education course opportunities to secondary school pupils pursuant to this article.  (7)   (6)  A pupil shall receive credit for community college courses that he or she completes at the level determined to be appropriate by the school district and community college governing boards pursuant to the partnership agreement as described in paragraph (2). (b) For purposes of state apportionments, a community college district shall be credited additional full-time equivalent students attributable to the attendance of pupils in community college courses as special part-time students pursuant to this article. (c) A school district the pupils of which attend community college courses as special part-time students pursuant to this article shall, for purposes of state apportionments, continue to receive credit for attendance by those pupils computed in the manner prescribed by law. A pupil's attendance at school for the minimum schoolday shall be deemed a day of attendance for purposes of making the computation. (d) (1) A community college district shall not receive a state allowance or apportionment for an instructional activity for which a school district has been, or shall be, paid an allowance or apportionment. (2) The attendance of a pupil at a community college as a special part-time or full-time student pursuant to this article is authorized attendance, for which the community college shall be credited or reimbursed pursuant to Section 48802 or 76002, provided that no school district has received reimbursement for the same instructional activity. Credit for courses completed shall be at the level determined to be appropriate by the governing boards of the school district and the community college district pursuant to the partnership agreement as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). (e) For purposes of this section, a special part-time student may enroll in up to, and including, 11 units per semester, or the equivalent thereof, at the community college he or she attends. (f) The governing board of a community college district shall not assign a high priority for registration or enrollment to a special part-time or full-time student attending community college pursuant to this article in order to ensure that the special students do not displace regularly admitted students. 48807. (a) For each partnership entered into pursuant to this article, the affected community college district and school district shall report annually to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges all of the following information: (1) The total number of secondary school pupils enrolled in each program, classified by school district. (2) The total number of successful course completions of secondary school pupils enrolled in each program, classified by school district. (3) The total number of successful course completions of students in courses equivalent to those courses tracked under paragraph (2) in the general community college curriculum. (b) The annual report required by this section shall be transmitted to all of the following: (1) The Legislature. (2) The Director of Finance. (3) The Superintendent. (4) The governing boards of each of the following community college districts: (A) Kern. (B) Long Beach. (C) Los Angeles. (D) Los Rios. (E) San Jose-Evergreen. (5) The governing board of each participating school district.  (c) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot project established by this article. The evaluation shall incorporate, but shall not be limited to, the data submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) and shall include a method to evaluate the effectiveness of the partnerships in supporting postsecondary readiness, enrollment, and student success. The evaluation shall include a mechanism to determine the cost benefits of concurrent enrollment for participating pupils and the state. The evaluation shall be submitted to the Legislature, the Director of Finance, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction by no later than December 1, 2013.  48808. This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2015, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2015, deletes or extends that date.