Bill Text: CA AB1468 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1468 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Community colleges: student equity plans.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-09-01 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1468 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB1468-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 03, 2017

Amended IN Assembly March 28, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1468

Introduced by Assembly Member Chiu

February 17, 2017

An act to amend Section 78220 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1468, as amended, Chiu. Community colleges: student equity plans.

Existing law, the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, provides that the purpose of the act is to increase California community college student access and success by providing effective core matriculation services of orientation, assessment and placement, counseling, and other education planning services, and academic interventions. The act specifies the responsibilities of students and institutions in entering into the matriculation process, and requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to develop a formula for allocating funding for the Student Success and Support Program that would be implemented under the act. Existing law requires, as a condition for receiving Student Success and Support Program funding, that the governing board of each community college district maintain a student equity plan, as specified.

This bill would authorize the use of funding from the Student Equity ~~Program~~ Program, up to $25,000 of apportionment funds per campus, or both, for the provision of emergency student financial assistance, as defined, to eligible students, as defined, to overcome unforeseen financial challenges, as specified, that would directly impact a student’s ability to persist in his or her course of study, if emergency student financial assistance is included in an institution’s plan for interventions to students.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 78220 of the Education Code is amended to read:

78220.

(a) As a condition for receiving Student Success and Support Program funding, and in order to ensure equal educational opportunities and to promote student success for all students, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, or economic circumstances, the governing board of each community college district shall maintain a student equity plan that includes all of the following for each community college within the community college district:

(1) Campus-based research as to the extent of student equity by gender and for each of the following categories of students:

(A) Current or former foster youth.

(B) Students with disabilities.

(D) Veterans.

(E) Students in the following ethnic and racial categories, as they are defined by the United States Census Bureau for the 2010 Census for reporting purposes:

(i) American Indian or Alaska Native.

(ii) Asian.

(iii) Black or African American.

(iv) Hispanic or Latino.

(v) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

(vi) White.

(vii) Some other race.

(viii) More than one race.

(2) Goals for access to, and completion of, basic skills, career technical education and workforce training, and transfer courses for the overall student population and for each population group of high-need or disadvantaged students, and a determination of what activities are most likely to effectively meet those goals.

(3) Whether significant underrepresentation is found to exist pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), measures for addressing the disparities in those areas, implementation activities designed to attain the goals specified in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, the adoption of evidence-based models of remediation, implementation of placement tests and policies that more accurately predict student success and identify students’ remedial needs, and a means of coordinating with, at a minimum, the following student equity-related categorical programs or campus-based programs:

(A) Students with disabilities.

(B) Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and Special Services.

(D) Student Success and Support Program.

(E) Programs for foster youth.

(F) Programs for veterans.

(G) Special Services for CalWORKs Recipients.

(H) Student Financial Aid Administration.

(I) Student Success for Basic Skills Students.

(4) Sources of funds for the activities in the plan.

(5) A schedule and process for evaluation.

(6) An executive summary that includes, at a minimum, the student groups for whom goals have been set, the goals, the initiatives that the community college or community college district will undertake to achieve these goals, the resources that have been budgeted for that purpose, and the community college district official to contact for further information. Commencing with 2016–17 academic year, the executive summary shall also include a detailed accounting of how funding was expended and an assessment of the progress made in achieving the identified goals.

(b) Student equity plans shall be developed with the active involvement of all groups on campus as required by law, including, but not limited to, the academic senate, academic faculty and staff, student services, and students, and with the involvement of appropriate people from the community.

(c) The plan shall be adopted by the governing board of the community college district and submitted to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges on or before January 1, 2015, who shall publish all executive summaries, sending copies to the appropriate policy and budget committees of the Legislature, the Department of Finance, every community college and community college district, each consultation group identified in subdivision (b) that so requests, and additional individuals and organizations as deemed appropriate.

(d) The plan shall be updated every three academic years and plan updates shall be submitted to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges for publication and distribution as provided for in subdivision (c).

(e) (1) Funding for the Student Equity ~~Program~~ Program, up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per campus of apportionment funding, or both, may be used for provision of emergency student financial assistance to help an eligible student overcome unforeseen financial challenges that would directly impact the student’s ability to persist in his or her course of study. These challenges include, but are not necessarily limited to, the immediate need for shelter or food. Each community college district and campus is encouraged to consider the unique characteristics of its student body in developing specific guidelines for further defining what constitutes an unforeseen financial challenge for its students.

(2) In order for emergency student financial assistance to be an allowable use of Student Equity Program funds, emergency student financial assistance shall be included in the institution’s plan for interventions to students.

(3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms are defined as follows:

(A) “Eligible student” means a student who has experienced an unforeseen financial challenge, who currently meets the definition of satisfactory academic progress of the college he or she attends, and who is at risk of not persisting in his or her course of study due to the unforeseen financial challenge.

(B) “Emergency student financial assistance” means financial support in the form of financial assistance to support a student to overcome unforeseen financial challenges so that he or she can continue his or her course of study.