Existing law requires the governing board of a community college district to admit to the community college any California resident, and authorizes the governing board to admit any nonresident, possessing a high school diploma or the equivalent of a high school diploma. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of a community college district to admit to the community college certain other persons, as provided.

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 1222 (Alvarado-Gil) - Community colleges: study: Counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra

Bill Summary:

This bill requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) to convene a working group and prepare a report with specific policy recommendations to the Legislature evaluating postsecondary education services and opportunities for residents of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra counties that are not fully included in a community college district.

Fiscal Impact:

• This bill could result in one-time General Fund costs, potentially in the high tens of thousands to low hundreds of thousands of dollars, for the LAO to convene a working group and prepare the report with policy recommendations at the level specified in this bill. This estimate includes travel and other administrative expenses for participants of the working group. The bill may also impact the ability of the LAO to fulfill other existing or future legislative mandates and requests, as the LAO’s budget is subject to the Legislature’s constitutional spending cap.
• The Chancellor’s Office estimates one-time General Fund workload costs of approximately $20,000 to participate in the working group. The exact cost would depend on the frequency of the meetings and required level of participation and engagement.

Background:

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges (CCC) as a part of public higher education consisting of community college districts under the control of a local board of trustees.

Existing law declares as legislative policy that all of the territory of the state shall be included within a community college district, except that territory located within a county where the county residents accounted for fewer than 350 units of average daily attendance in the state’s community colleges during the preceding fiscal year, and that territory located within such a county may be included within a community college district pursuant to prescribed procedures.

Existing law authorizes the county committee on school district organization to, if certain conditions are met approve or disapprove petitions to transfer territory and the formation of a district that meets specified conditions.

Proposed Law:

This bill eliminates the exception to the legislative policy of including all of the state's territory within a community college district, which excludes certain counties with low community college attendance among their residents, as provided.

This bill requires that the LAO study and prepare a report evaluating the provision of postsecondary education services and opportunities to residents of the underserved counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra that are not fully included within the territory of a community college district. It requires the report to include policy recommendations regarding how the state can ensure in-person and online postsecondary education opportunities for residents of the specified counties that are equivalent to those of similarly sized communities fully included within a community college district’s territory.

This bill requires that the report and recommendations include specified considerations, including an analysis of the educational and economic impacts of the existing deficit of CCC services and opportunities in the specified five counties and the potential benefits of providing equivalent opportunities to these communities; an analysis of the current availability of, and opportunities to strengthen, dual enrollment and transfer pathways; identification of outreach and recruitment services in the specified five counties by public and private postsecondary educational institutions and collaborations that are operating or in process to expand access to postsecondary education programs and services in other parts of the state; and identification of potential providers of in-person and online postsecondary education programs and services within the five specified counties, and options for implementing those programs and services.

This bill prohibits the LAO from requiring, but allows the LAO to request and receive information from various entities, including the CCC Board of Governors and the CCC Chancellor, the California Department of Education, any CCC district, the California State University Chancellor’s Office, the University of California President’s Office, or any organization representing independent institutions of higher education in the state.

This bill requires the LAO to convene and consult a working group to help inform the development of the report and recommendations, which includes voluntary representatives, as specified, including one representative from each of the five specified counties; and one representative of an organization representing rural counties; representatives from one or more of the CCC districts adjacent to each of the five specified counties.

This bill requires that the LAO, by December 31, 2025, submit the required report and recommendations to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature and the Governor, as specified, and sunsets this bill’s provisions on January 1, 2030.

Staff Comments:

This bill requires that the LAO undertake various responsibilities to assess the availability of higher education options in the counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra. Since the defunding of the California Postsecondary Education Commission in 2011, there is currently no centralized coordinating body for higher education in the state to undertake such responsibilities and report on higher education issues. Given the complexity of the reporting requirement specified in the bill, it is unlikely that the LAO could absorb the workload within existing resources. For example, the LAO would be responsible for analyzing the educational and economic impacts of the existing deficit of community college services and opportunities in the five underserved counties. Additionally, the bill prohibits the LAO from requiring information from higher education institutions further limiting their ability to receive data and implement the bill’s requirements.

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SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Josh Newman, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: Hearing Date: April 10, 2024

Subject:

SUMMARY

This bill declares that all the state’s territory be included within a community college district by eliminating the exception that excludes certain counties from that policy. It further requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) to prepare a report with specific policy recommendations to the legislature evaluating postsecondary education services and opportunities for residents of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra counties that are not fully included in a community college district. Lastly, the bill requires that the LAO convene and consult a working group to help prepare the report and recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Existing law:

1. Establishes the California Community Colleges (CCC) as a part of public higher education consisting of community college districts under the control of a local board of trustees. (Education Code (EC) § 70900 and § 70902)
2. Declares as legislative policy that all of the territory of the state shall be included within a community college district, except that territory located within a county where the county residents accounted for fewer than 350 units of average daily attendance in the state’s community colleges during the preceding fiscal year, and that territory located within such a county may be included within a community college district pursuant to prescribed procedures. (EC § 74000)
3. Authorizes the county committee on school district organization to, if certain conditions are met approve or disapprove petitions to transfer territory and the formation of a district that meets specified conditions. (EC § 35710)
4. Authorizes the county committee on school organizations to establish trustee areas, rearrange the boundaries of trustee areas, abolish trustee areas, adopt one of the alternative methods of electing governing board members, and increase to seven or decrease to five the number of members of the governing board in any school district or community college district. (EC § 5019)

ANALYSIS

This bill:

1. Eliminates the exception to the legislative policy of including all of the state's territory within a community college district, which excludes certain counties with low community college attendance among their residents, as provided.
2. Requires that the LAO study and prepare a report evaluating the provision of postsecondary education services and opportunities to residents of the underserved counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra that are not fully included within the territory of a community college district.
3. Requires that the required report include policy recommendations regarding how the state can ensure in-person and online postsecondary education opportunities for residents of the specified counties that are equivalent to those of similarly sized communities fully included within a community college district’s territory.
4. Requires that the report and recommendations include the following considerations:
   1. An analysis of the educational and economic impacts of the existing deficit

of CCC services and opportunities in the specified five counties and the potential benefits of providing equivalent opportunities to these communities.

• 1. An analysis of the current availability of, and opportunities to strengthen,

dual enrollment and transfer pathways.

• 1. Identification of outreach and recruitment services in the specified five

counties by public and private postsecondary educational institutions and collaborations that are operating or in process to expand access to postsecondary education programs and services in other parts of the state.

• 1. Identification of potential providers of in-person and online postsecondary

education programs and services within the five specified counties, and options for implementing those programs and services.

• 1. Identification of opportunities and resources needed to provide in-person

postsecondary education programs and courses in locations reasonably accessible to a majority of residents of the specified five counties.

• 1. Identification of opportunities for partnership with local educational

agencies, public and private postsecondary educational institutions, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to facilitate expanded CCC opportunities to serve the residents of the specified five counties.

• 1. An analysis of resource needs and potential funding sources for

expanding postsecondary education services and opportunities for residents of the five specified counties.

• 1. Identification of potential legislative and administrative actions that may

be taken to ensure that residents of the five specified counties have in-person and online postsecondary education opportunities equivalent to those offered in similarly sized communities that are fully included within the community college district’s territory.

1. Prohibits the LAO from requiring, but allows the LAO to request and receive information from various entities, including the CCC Board of Governors and the CCC Chancellor, the California Department of Education (CDE), any CCC district, the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office, the University of California (UC) President’s Office, or any organization representing independent institutions of higher education in the state.
2. Requires the LAO to convene and consult a working group to help inform the development of the report and recommendations, which includes voluntary representatives from all of the following:
   1. One representative from each of the five specified counties.
   2. One representative of an organization representing rural counties.
   3. Representatives from one or more of the CCC districts adjacent to each

of the five specified counties.

• 1. One representative of the CCC Chancellor’s Office.
  2. One representative of the CSU Chancellor’s Office.
  3. One representative of the UC President’s Office.
  4. One representative of an organization of independent, nonprofit colleges

and universities in California.

• 1. One representative of CDE.

1. Requires that the LAO, by December 31, 2025, submit the required report and recommendations to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature and the Governor, as specified.
2. States that a special statute is necessary because the counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra are not within a CCC district.
3. Sunsets this bill’s provisions on January 1, 2030.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “Senate Bill 1222 creates a stepping stone towards inclusion for some of our state's most rural counties. This bill would declare as legislative policy that all state territory be included in a community college district or otherwise be given equivalent postsecondary educational opportunities. The measure directs the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct a study evaluating the educational needs and opportunities that exists for the five rural counties (Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra) that are currently not included in a community college district.

“California's rural population has continually lagged behind in educational attainment due to their unique locations and circumstances that limit their access to opportunities and resources. An appropriate pathway to solving this issue is necessary to ensure the promise that everyone deserves an equal chance at an education and developing skills for a career that will help them support themselves and their families.”

1. Higher education access. This bill effectively makes it a goal of the legislature that all of the state’s territory be included within a community college district. Additionally, it requires an assessment of postsecondary educational services and opportunities. California’s higher education system consists of the CCCs, the CSU, and the UC. It also includes about 200 private, non-profit colleges and universities. There are 116 CCCs, which consist of the system’s online only community college, 23 CSUs, and 10 UC campuses. Each of the three systems offers a range of online courses and programs. Under current law, the state does not consider the territory within a county where the residents had less than 350 units of average daily attendance in CCC as part of the state’s community college service area commitment. The populations of the five counties identified in the bill are as follows: Amador (37,676), Alpine (1,142), Mariposa (18,067), Modoc (9,570), and Sierra (3,201). Alpine, Amador, Mariposa, and Sierra do not have a community college located in their county. Modoc County is unique among the five counties because it falls within the Shasta and Lassen Community College District service areas. However, Shasta Community College District and Lassen Community College District do not collect property tax revenue from Modoc County. This bill seeks to ensure that the residents of these counties, despite their numbers, or community college attendance rate, have access to higher education courses or programs.
2. Service area expansion requires county involvement. A county committee on school district organization determines the service areas for both community colleges and school districts. Some counties have transferred the functions of the county committee on school district organization to the county board of education. The service area for most community college districts deviates only slightly from county lines. According to the school district organization handbook, county committees have the authority to grant requests for the addition of new territory if, among other things, it does not result in any increased costs or decrease educational opportunities for existing residents. It appears that community college districts cannot expand their service boundaries without involvement from their local government partners. This bill is silent on the need for such coordination.
3. An increase level of responsibility assigned to LAO for evaluating higher education issues. This bill requires that the LAO undertake various responsibilities to assess the availability of higher education options for individuals residing in the targeted rural counties. Since the defunding of the California Postsecondary Education Commission in 2011, there is currently no centralized coordinating body for higher education in the State of California. This absence has hindered the state’s ability to assess higher education opportunities. As a result, there has been an increased demand for the LAO to report on higher education issues in an effort to fill the information gap. However, the LAO’s capacity to fulfill this role has not been adequately considered, as it is not specifically intended to handle the workload of a state agency. Additionally, the bill prohibits the LAO from requiring information from higher education institutions further limiting their ability to receive data and implement the bill’s requirements. The committee may wish to consider whether data currently exists to conduct an evaluation and whether LAO has the capacity to conduct new data collection, research, and convene a workgroup as required by this bill.

SUPPORT

Rural County Representatives of California

OPPOSITION

None received

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