Bill Text: CA SB721 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: California postsecondary education: state goals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2012-09-13 - In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. [SB721 Detail]
Download: California-2011-SB721-Enrolled.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 721 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 29, 2012
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 21, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 12, 2012
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 4, 2012
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 23, 2011
INTRODUCED BY Senator Lowenthal
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Block and Portantino)
(Coauthor: Senator Liu)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lara)
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
An act to add Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 67050) to Part
40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to
postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 721, Lowenthal. California postsecondary education: state
goals.
Existing law establishes the University of California, under the
administration of the Regents of the University of California, 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 the 3 segments of public
postsecondary education in this state.
Existing law establishes a higher education accountability program
under which the University of California, the California State
University, and the California Community Colleges are required to
prepare a list of reports on a regular basis and present those
reports to the Legislature and to state agencies.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that budget
and policy decisions regarding postsecondary education generally
adhere to 3 specified goals. The bill would also state the intent of
the Legislature to identify and define appropriate metrics in order
to monitor progress toward the achievement of those 3 goals and
establish interim targets for those metrics to be achieved by 2025.
The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to convene a
working group to develop those metrics, and any recommended interim
targets for those metrics, as specified. The bill would require the
Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the Department of
Finance, to submit recommended metrics to specified persons and
entities on or before January 31, 2013. The bill would state the
intent of the Legislature to formally adopt statewide metrics
following a review of those recommended metrics. Commencing September
30, 2013, the bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to
annually release a statewide performance report, as specified, using
each of the statewide metrics adopted by the Legislature. Commencing
January 1, 2014, the bill would require the Legislative Analyst's
Office to annually provide its own assessment of progress toward the
achievement of those 3 goals, as specified, with recommendations for
legislative action, as appropriate. The bill also would require the
segments of postsecondary education, as defined, to have the
opportunity to annually provide their own assessments. The bill would
also state additional legislative intent and make specified findings
and declarations regarding state goals for postsecondary education.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 67050) is added to
Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER 13. STATE GOALS FOR CALIFORNIA'S POSTSECONDARY
EDUCATION SYSTEM
67050. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Since the enactment of the Master Plan for Higher Education in
1960, California's system of postsecondary education has provided
access and high-quality educational opportunities that have fueled
California's economic growth and promoted social mobility.
(b) In today's global information economy, California's national
and international success as an educational and economic leader will
require strategic investments in, and improved management of, state
educational resources.
(c) Several factors, including changing demographics, rising
costs, increased competition for scarce state funding, and employer
concerns about graduates' skills, present new challenges to higher
education and state policymakers in effectively meeting the
postsecondary education needs of Californians.
(d) Although the public segments of higher education have each
undertaken efforts to improve reporting and transparency, these
efforts do not combine to indicate whether the postsecondary system
as a whole is on track to meet the state's needs.
(e) The absence of a common vision and goals for California's
postsecondary education system hinders the state's ability to
effectively make critical fiscal and policy decisions.
(f) Policy and educational leaders should collectively hold
themselves accountable for meeting the state's civic and workforce
needs, for ensuring the efficient and responsible management of
public resources, and for ensuring that California residents have the
opportunity to successfully pursue and achieve their postsecondary
educational goals.
67051. In order to promote the state's competitive economic
position and quality of civic life, it is necessary to increase the
level of educational attainment of California's adult population to
meet the state's civic and workforce needs. To achieve that
objective, it is the intent of the Legislature that budget and policy
decisions regarding postsecondary education generally adhere to all
of the following goals:
(a) Improve student access and success, which shall include, but
not be limited to, all of the following goals: greater participation
by demographic groups that have historically participated at lower
rates, greater completion rates by all students, and improved
outcomes for graduates.
(b) Better align degrees and credentials with the state's
economic, workforce, and civic needs.
(c) Ensure the effective and efficient use of resources in order
to increase high-quality postsecondary educational outcomes and
maintain affordability.
67052. (a) The Legislature intends to identify and define
appropriate metrics in order to monitor progress toward the
achievement of the goals specified in Section 67051. The metrics
should take into account the distinct missions of the different
segments of postsecondary education. The Legislature further intends
to establish interim targets for those metrics to be achieved by
2025.
(b) (1) The metrics and any recommended interim targets for those
metrics referenced in subdivision (a) shall be developed with the
assistance of a working group that shall be convened by the
Legislative Analyst's Office. The Legislative Analyst's Office shall
assemble the working group by selecting participants as follows:
(A) (i) One representative from each of the postsecondary
education segments, as defined in Section 67055, and a representative
of the State Department of Education.
(ii) The representative of the independent institutions of higher
education shall be from the official organization representing the
largest number of independent institutions of higher education in the
state. The representative of the private postsecondary educational
institutions shall be the Chief of the Bureau for Private
Postsecondary Education, or the chief's designee.
(B) One representative of the Department of Finance.
(C) At least one member, but no more than three members, with
expertise in similar state accountability efforts, who is not a
regular employee of a postsecondary education segment.
(D) A representative of the Legislative Analyst's Office, who
shall serve as the chairperson of the working group.
(2) The Legislative Analyst's Office may request technical input
from any agency that maintains data that would be helpful in
developing the metrics and assessing progress toward achieving the
goals specified in Section 67051.
(3) The working group established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall
develop a set of at least 6, and no more than 12, metrics that can be
derived from publicly available data sources for purposes of
periodically assessing the state's progress toward meeting each of
the goals specified in Section 67051. The metrics shall be
disaggregated and reported by gender, race or ethnicity, income, age
group, and full-time or part-time enrollment status, where
appropriate and applicable.
(4) The Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the
Department of Finance, shall submit recommended metrics developed
pursuant to paragraph (1) to the appropriate policy committees of the
Legislature, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and the
Governor on or before January 31, 2013.
(5) It is the intent of the Legislature to formally adopt
statewide metrics following a review of the recommendations submitted
by the Legislative Analyst's Office pursuant to paragraph (4) and to
use these metrics to monitor progress toward achieving the goals
specified in Section 67051.
67053. It is the intent of the Legislature to promote progress on
the statewide educational and economic policy goals specified in
Section 67051 through budget and policy decisions regarding higher
education. It is the intent of the Legislature that the state level
reporting system established pursuant to Section 67054 ensures the
effective and efficient use of state resources available to
postsecondary education.
67054. (a) Commencing September 30, 2013, the Legislative Analyst'
s Office shall annually release a statewide performance report using
each of the metrics adopted by the Legislature pursuant to paragraph
(5) of subdivision (b) of Section 67052. The report shall benchmark
each of the metrics against the interim target established pursuant
to subdivision (a) of Section 67052 and against an appropriate
contextual range of other states' performance. This report shall be
available publicly for use by the segments of postsecondary
education, the Governor, the Department of Finance, the Legislature,
and other stakeholder groups to make their own assessments about the
performance of the postsecondary education system.
(b) Commencing January 1, 2014, the Legislative Analyst's Office
shall annually provide its own assessment of progress toward the
achievement of the goals specified in Section 67051, with
recommendations for legislative action, as appropriate. Specifically,
the Legislative Analyst's Office's assessment shall do all of the
following:
(1) Assess the level of progress toward achieving the goals
specified in Section 67051 and outcomes achieved.
(2) Identify significant factors that may explain the level of
progress and outcomes specified in paragraph (1).
(3) Identify postsecondary education policy and funding options
suggested by the metrics developed pursuant to subdivision (b) of
Section 67052 for consideration by the Governor and the Legislature.
(c) The segments of postsecondary education shall have the
opportunity to annually provide their own assessments of progress
toward achieving the goals specified in Section 67051.
67055. For the purposes of this chapter, "segments of
postsecondary education" means the California Community Colleges, the
California State University, the University of California,
independent institutions of higher education, as defined in Section
66010, and private postsecondary educational institutions, as defined
in Section 94858.
