California Assembly Bill AB835 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 835AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 31, 2011 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mitchell FEBRUARY 17, 2011 An act to amend Section 88532 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 835, as amended, Mitchell. Community colleges: Economic and Workforce Development Program. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program. Existing law provides for the awarding of grants for this program, and provides that this program shall only be implemented during fiscal years for which funds are appropriated for these purposes. Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as part of the program, to assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia to improve linkages and career-technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges, in a manner that, among other things, improves the quality of career exploration and career outreach materials. Existing law also requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop an implementation strategy for achieving this goal, as specified. The bill would authorize community college districts to enroll high school pupils who are not residents of the district in a program developed and implemented by the district  and to grant academic credit to high school pupils for courses meeting specified criteria   , as specified  .  The bill would grant authority for the fiscal management of these programs to the Dean of the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program of the California Community Colleges.  Because this provision would impose new duties on certain school districts by requiring them to excuse absences and allow pupils participating in programs pursuant to the bill to make up work, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 88532 of the Education Code is amended to read: 88532. (a) The board of governors shall assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, including middle and junior high schools or high schools and regional occupational centers and programs, to improve linkages and career-technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges for the benefit of pupils and students in both education systems. This assistance shall include all of the following: (1) Expanding certificate programs in identified economic development program strategic priority areas. (2) Aligning existing technical preparation programs and career-technical education curriculum between high schools and community colleges to more targeted industry-driven programs through the models consistent with economic and workforce development strategic priority areas. (3) Promoting the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program's successful integration of business and emerging industries with career technical programs provided in high schools. (4) Creating new articulated courses between high schools and community colleges and, where appropriate, four-year institutions. (5) Accelerating education and training for those students who choose to be prepared for career and technical employment opportunities in less traditional and more expeditious methods while maintaining and or improving student competencies. (6) Exploring new and more relevant career and technical practicum models that integrate coursework and student internship. (7) Improving the quality of career exploration and career outreach materials. (8) Disseminating materials and curriculum to all middle schools and senior high schools. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all of the following shall apply to a program developed and implemented under this section, designed to serve high school pupils, that involves multiple school districts or community college districts, or both: (1) A community college district may enroll a high school pupil who is not a resident of that community college district in a program that is developed and implemented by the community college district pursuant to this section, and the district shall not be subject to any other geographic limitations for these purposes.  (2) A community college may grant academic credit to a high school pupil for a program, developed and implemented pursuant to this section, that meets the criteria of existing courses and is conducted as part of contract education or other similar process.   (3) The Dean of the Economic and Workforce Development Program of the California Community Colleges shall have authority over fiscal management for programs, developed and implemented pursuant to this section, that serve students in multiple community college districts.   (4)   (2   )  A school district or community college district that participates in a program developed and implemented pursuant to this section shall accept a fingerprint verification of a person, as required by Section  45125.1   45125.01  , by another district participating in that program as meeting that person's fingerprint verification requirements.  (5)   (3   )  A program developed and implemented pursuant to this section shall be deemed to meet the  criteria   open-course requirements  for dual enrollment of a high school pupil in community college and high school set forth  in Article 1 (commencing with Section 76000) of Chapter 1 of Part 47.   in Section 76002.  (c) The chancellor shall develop an implementation strategy for the program objectives delineated in this section as a part of the annual expenditure plan submitted to the advisory committee for the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program and the board of governors. (d) This section shall be operative only in fiscal years for which funds have been appropriated by the Legislature expressly for the purposes of this section. (e) The board of governors shall ensure that elementary and secondary school educators strongly collaborate with college faculty in implementing this section. SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.