California community colleges have been struggling recently, facing dwindling budgets and increasing scrutiny from college regulatory agencies. Governor Jerry Brown has now taken the community college problem into his own hands, signing legislation that will significantly change these higher education institutions. Concerned about the low completion rates the California community college system now faces, Governor Brown focused specifically on laws that would increase the odds of student success at community colleges throughout the state.
The Student Success Act of 2012
One of the key pieces of legislation Governor Brown recently signed into law was the Student Success Act of 2012 or SB1456. The Press-Telegram reports that this bill focused on the state’s community college system to improve completion rates and student success at these institutions. The Student Success Act of 2012 includes several specific measures community colleges must now utilize to help their students succeed in college. Some of the measures include:
- Development of a student education plan to help students plan course schedules accordingly
- The requirement that all incoming students attend an orientation session before taking courses
- Minimum standards for academic success to receive fee waivers
- Creation of a student success report card that will be used to determine future funding
- The addition of an all-new assessment test will help place students in the proper classes
The bill also contains a provision that ensures new community college students can get the courses they need to launch their degree programs. Currently, students in the system get priority in course scheduling. However, some of these students have been in community college for many years without showing signs they are headed toward graduation. The new legislation will ban these practices. According to the Press-Enterprise, some California schools are already following similar policies. For example, San Bernardino Community College moves students with 109 credits or more to the back of the registration line.
Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) authored the new bill, which aims to give community college students the support services they need to succeed in their post-secondary education.
“It is unacceptable that more than 50 percent of community college students are not graduating or transferring within six years,” Sen. Lowenthal stated in the Press-Telegram. “SB1456 is the first step toward a community college system that is refocused and rededicated to student success and achievement.”
SB1456 was drafted earlier this year and passed the state senate in May with a bipartisan vote of 33-1. Over the summer, the bill unanimously passed the Assembly before getting Governor Brown’s autograph to make it official.
This video reports on the Student Success Act of 2012.
Free Online Textbooks
Jerry Brown signed two additional bills, 1052 and 1053, to get free online textbooks into the hands of college students. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the bills require the creation of a faculty council that will determine which classes should accommodate the free digital textbooks. These textbooks would be created and then become a part of a digital library, where students and faculty could access resources at no charge.
“There’s absolutely no reason a basic biology, statistics, or accounting textbook, for example, should cost $200,” Darrell Steinberg, the State Senate’s president pro tempore, told the Chronicle. Steinberg authored these two bills.
According to Red Orbit, the bill includes provisions for the state government to draft a “Request for Proposals” process to create the digital resources. This process would invite educators, faculty, and publishers to create high-quality resources for the college classroom. All material will be published under a Creative Commons license that allows students and faculty to access it online.
“This is a great victory for students and middle-class families struggling with the ever-increasing costs of higher education,” Steinberg told Red Orbit. “This is a major step toward using technology to cut costs for students while enhancing the quality of higher education in California.”
This video shows where to find free online textbooks.
Significant Changes Coming to the California Community College System
The bills recently signed into law by Governor Brown are just part of the big changes coming to the California community college system this academic year. The Washington Post reports that California Community Colleges has also appointed a new chancellor for the state’s 112-campus community college system. Veteran administrator Brice Harris has been appointed as the 15th chancellor for the system.
Harris, who previously headed up the Los Rios Community College District in the Sacramento region, has ample qualifications for this position. Before his post at Los Rios Community College District, Harris served as President of Fresno City College. Harris will replace current chancellor Jack Scott this year. Scott has left his post to pursue a scholar-in-residence position at Claremont Graduate University.
Harris will pick up where Scott left off, working directly with the new laws Governor Brown has introduced. Harris also faces a critical ballot issue next month—a tax initiative known as Proposition 30, which could severely cut funding to community colleges if it is not passed. If it is not passed, community colleges would face a budget reduction of more than $338 million and could be forced to turn away as many as 100,000 students statewide.
This video from PBS reports on budget problems in the California community college system.
Despite the challenges, Harris is optimistic that the California community college system can be reversed. He told the Washington Post, “I am bullish on California Community Colleges. I believe the best days are ahead of us, and I look forward to this challenge.”
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