SDCCD : Community College Baccalaureate Bill Advances To Assembly Floor

Press release from San Diego Community College District:

May 24, 2021

Legislation that would expand and make permanent the California community college
bachelor’s degree pilot program has secured approval from the Assembly Appropriations
Committee. Assembly Bill 927 now heads to the Assembly floor with the backing of educational
leaders and dozens of businesses and trade organizations.

The legislation is sponsored by Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Jose Medina
(D-Riverside). On April 22, Chairman Medina’s committee voted 11-0 to endorse the
bill. 

AB 927 seeks to eliminate the 2026 sunset date on existing baccalaureate degree programs
at 15 California community colleges in workforce fields with high demand and unmet
need, in addition to allowing for up to 30 community college baccalaureate degree
programs statewide per year.

“Community colleges are the founding pillars of higher education; offering critical
baccalaureate degree programs will create greater accessibility to higher education,”
Assembly Member Medina said. “The baccalaureate degree program will play a pivotal
role in building back our state’s economy.”

A recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) identified the
need for over one million bachelor’s degree holders in California in the coming decade,
especially in critical workforce fields. The PPIC found that to keep up with the demand
for a college-educated workforce the state would need to increase the number of bachelor’s
degrees awarded by 40%.

The bill mandates the California Community Colleges Chancellor to consult with and
seek feedback from the California State University and University of California systems
on proposed baccalaureate degrees and would require individual districts seeking approval
to provide evidence of unmet workforce needs. 

The baccalaureate degree pilot program was established when Governor Jerry Brown in
2014 signed Senate Bill 850, allowing 15 colleges — including San Diego Mesa College
— to offer bachelor’s degrees in specific workforce fields. The Mesa College baccalaureate
degree program in Health Information Management was among the first established under
SB 850 and was approved with the support of the regional healthcare industry.

The statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program initially was set to end in 2023,
but later legislation signed into law extended the program’s sunset date to July 2026. 

San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance M. Carroll, who co-founded
the nonprofit California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Association, chairs statewide
legislative efforts advocating for establishing the baccalaureate program.

The California Legislative Analyst’s Office has found that more than half of students
surveyed would not have pursued a bachelor’s degree if their community college program
had not been offered. Approximately 60% of students enrolled in a community college
baccalaureate program come from communities of color and disadvantaged backgrounds
and are paying a little more than $10,000 — a fraction of what it would cost them
at private institutions.

Business organizations that support the bill include: California Dental Hygienists’
Association, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego East County Chamber
of Commerce, San Diego WaterWorks Workforce Development Group, National Association
Of Social Workers, California Chapter the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, California
Society for Respiratory Care, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, among others.

This press release was produced by San Diego Community College District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.