California Senate Bill SB412 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 412AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 15, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 1, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 23, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 8, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Senators Glazer and De Len (Coauthors: Assembly Members Baker and Levine) FEBRUARY 25, 2015 An act to add and repeal Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430) of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 412, as amended, Glazer. The California Promise. Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would establish the California Promise, which would require specified minimum numbers of campuses of the California State University to establish a California Promise program to enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, or if the student is a community college transfer student who earned an associate degree for transfer, within 2 academic years, of the academic year of the student's admission, as defined. The bill would require the trustees to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature that includes demographic information about students who participate in the program and a summary description of significant differences in implementation of the program by campus. The bill would require the trustees to submit recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding potential financial incentives that can benefit students who participate in the program. The bill's provisions would be repealed as of January 1, 2024.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. Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430) is added to Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read: PART 40.2. THE CALIFORNIA PROMISE 67430. This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Promise. 67431. For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) "Academic year of the student's admission" means the first full academic year in which a person is a student at the California State University. (b) "Campus" means a campus within the California State University system as set forth in Section 89001. (c) "Transfer student" is a community college student who earned an associate degree for transfer. (d) "Trustees" means the Trustees of the California State University. 67432. The California Promise is hereby established to support students who enroll in the campuses of the California State University in obtaining baccalaureate degrees within four academic years of the academic year of the student's admission or within two academic years of the student's admission to the campus for transfer students. 67433. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) This part is needed to facilitate the availability and completion of coursework for degree programs offered by campuses of the California State University and to ensure that students enrolled at these campuses are able to complete baccalaureate degree programs within four academic years of the academic year of the student's admission or within two academic years of the student's admission to the campus for transfer students. (b) A more concerted, statewide effort to create pathways to four-year graduation is needed at the California State University. For the 2010 cohort of full-time, first-time students at the California State University, 19 percent graduated within four academic years. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office, the most recent nationally comparable data shows that the California State University's overall four-year graduation rate was 16 percent in 2011, below the national rate of 26 percent among similar public institutions. (c) Impediments to graduating within four academic years include the failure of students to complete sufficient units per academic year and the lack of available high-demand courses. (d) New approaches are critical for the future of higher education in California. Efforts have been ongoing, though sporadic, to improve postsecondary educational institution enrollment and graduation. These efforts will need to be intensified and made more broadly systemic. (e) Students who graduate within four academic years save tens of thousands of dollars. In addition to the direct costs of extended college and university enrollment, students miss out on earnings in the workforce while they remain in school. (f) When California experiences a decline in college and university graduates, the state's economy shrinks and employers seek qualified candidates outside the state. Furthermore, a larger share of the state's workforce is downgraded to lower-paying jobs and consumer behavior and home ownership declines, which leads to plummeting revenues for local and state government and to more people relying on increasingly decimated government services. (g) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, if bold measures are not taken, California will fall short of the state' s economic demand by 1.1 million college and university graduates by 2030. An increased demand for highly educated workers will outweigh the number of qualified applicants for available jobs, which will be exacerbated when scores of highly educated baby boomers retire. The share of workers with a baccalaureate degree will be 33 percent in 2030, below the 38 percent that will be needed. (h) The impact of graduation rates from California State University campuses is felt not only throughout the state, but also the nation. One out of every 10 California employees is a California State University graduate, while one out of every 20 United States citizens with a college or university degree graduates from a campus of the California State University. These statistics emphasize the national importance of graduation rates at California State University campuses. (i) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise will enable the California State University system to meet and exceed the national average of similar public postsecondary educational institutions as quickly as possible. (j) The California Promise programs established at the California State University in accordance with this part should aim to reflect the demographics of their respective campuses and target a diverse set of students. 67434. (a) The trustees shall develop and implement a California Promise program that complies with this part. (b) Commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year, a minimum of  10   eight  campuses shall establish a California Promise program pursuant to subdivision (a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying student who is enrolled at the campus and who is not a transfer student to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree within four academic years of the academic year of the student's admission. (c) Commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year, a minimum of 15 campuses shall establish a California Promise program pursuant to subdivision (a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying transfer student to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree program within two academic years of the student's admission to the campus, as applicable. (d) Commencing with the 2018-19 fiscal year, a minimum of 5 additional campuses for a total minimum of 20 campuses shall establish a California Promise program pursuant to subdivision (a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying transfer student to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree program within two academic years of the student's admission to the campus, as applicable. (e) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (f), to be a qualifying student or transfer student at the California State University, the student must comply with both of the following: (1) Be a California resident for purposes of in-state tuition eligibility. (2) Complete at least 30 semester units or the quarter equivalent per academic year. Units completed by the student during a summer term may count towards the previous or following academic year as determined by the trustees. (f) (1) Each program established by the trustees at a California State University campus shall be reviewed by a graduation initiative advisory committee of that campus or a committee designated with similar functions. The committee shall ensure the goals of the program and implementation steps lead to increasing the campus' four-year graduation rates for students who enrolled as first-time freshman and two-year graduation rates for transfer students, as applicable. (2) The committee at each campus shall develop additional eligibility requirements to prioritize specific student populations that have lower four-year graduation rates at the campus for those who enroll as first-time freshman and lower two-year graduation rates for those who enroll as transfer students, including, but not limited to, all of the following student populations: (A) Students who receive financial aid under the Federal Pell Grant Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of Part 42. (B) Underrepresented students. (C) First generation college students. (3) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise program at each campus gradually scale up in order to accommodate as many students into the program as feasible and in consideration of available funding. (g) Support provided by a California State University campus to a student who participates in the campus' California Promise program shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following: (1) (A) Priority registration in coursework. For purposes of this paragraph, both of the following shall apply: (B) A student shall not receive priority registration in coursework under the program if he or she qualifies for priority registration under another policy or program, as determined by the campus or the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University. (C) A student shall only receive priority registration in coursework over other students within his or her cohort of students, as determined by the campus or the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University. (2) Academic advisement that includes monitoring the student's academic progress. (h) (1) The trustees shall develop application criteria, administrative guidelines, and additional requirements, including how campuses will measure student success, for purposes of implementing and administering the California Promise program. (2) Requirements developed in accordance with paragraph (1) may include a requirement that a student who participates in a California Promise program maintain a minimum grade point average determined by the student's campus. (3) In developing requirements for the California Promise program, the trustees shall take into consideration the report on graduation rates required pursuant to Item 6610-001-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2016. (i) (1) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by July 1, 2021, that includes all of the following: (A) The total number of students participating in the program disaggregated by individual campus and all of the following: (i) Transfer students and students who enroll as first-time freshman. (ii) First generation college students. (iii) Recipients of financial aid under the Federal Pell Grant Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of Part 42. (iv) Student ethnicity. (B) The total number of students who graduated in four academic years for students who enrolled as first-time freshman and two academic years for transfer students, disaggregated by individual campus and the characteristics identified in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive, or subparagraph (A). (2) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by July 1, 2019, that includes the total number of the first cohort of transfer students participating in the program, disaggregated by individual campus and the characteristics listed in clauses (ii) to (iv), inclusive, of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1). (3) The reports required in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall include a summary description of significant differences regarding implementation of the California Promise program by campus, including, but not limited to, the prioritization of student populations pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) if applicable, the role of academic advising, and the implementation of priority registration. (j) The trustees shall submit recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by March 15, 2017, regarding potential financial incentives that can benefit students who participate in the California Promise program, including, but not limited to, incentives for qualifying students who are unable to graduate within four or two academic years, as applicable, due to a lack of course offerings. (k) A student who successfully completes his or her associate degree for transfer at a community college shall be guaranteed participation in the California Promise program at the California State University transfer campus, if established. (l) The trustees shall make every effort to close the achievement gap and encourage broad participation in a California Promise program that reflects a participating campus' demographics. 67435. This part shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that date.