Provisionally Support SB 3 (Allen, as of February 25, 2019)

Spring
2019
Resolution Number
06.02
 
Assigned to
Legislative and Advocacy Committee
Category
State and Legislative Issues
Status
Completed
Status Report

A provisional supper letter was submitted on May 6, 2019.

Whereas, California law established the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) as the coordinating and planning agency for statewide postsecondary education, and CPEC performed a variety of useful functions for California higher education, including data collection for all public segments and advising the governor regarding budgetary priorities to preserve access for students, prior to being defunded by the governor and ceasing operations in 2011;

Whereas, SB 3 (Allen, as of February 25, 2019) would create the Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability, which would, among other functions, “periodically provide independent oversight on the public postsecondary segments’ and individual campus-based programs and initiatives and cross-segmental and interagency programs and initiatives in areas that include, but are not necessarily limited to, graduation rates, affordability, transfer, financial aid, assessment and placement, remediation, degree and certificate completion, adult education, workforce coordination, student transition into the workforce, effectiveness, and alignment with state goals and performance measures in higher education,” thus potentially providing support for California higher education that has been needed since the defunding of CPEC;and

Whereas, The Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability would be required by law to, “In consultation with the public postsecondary segments,set performance targets for enrollment and degree and certificate completion statewide and by region” and “In consultation with the public postsecondary segments and workforce and development agencies, including, but not limited to, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, periodically measure the supply and demand of jobs in fields of study statewide and by region,” and therefore the functionality and benefits of the office would be greatly enhanced if the advisory board were to include direct representation from the segments of public higher education;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support SB 3 (Allen, as of February25,2019) to create the Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability only in the event that the legislation is amended to include faculty representatives appointed by their respective Academic Senates from each of the segments of public higher education in California among the members of the advisory board.

MSU