Career Technical Education Pathways Program.

Existing law, until January 1, 2013, establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program. Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as part of the program, to assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia to improve, among other things, career-technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges, as specified. This bill would establish the Career Technical Education Pathways Program until June 30, 2015, which would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, community colleges, middle schools, high schools, and regional occupational centers and programs to improve linkages and career technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges to accomplish specified objectives. This assistance would be required to be provided in the form of contracts and competitive grants administered jointly by the chancellor and the Superintendent for programs and initiatives that demonstrate a plan for close collaboration among regional institutions and entities to jointly accomplish specified goals. The bill would require the chancellor and the Superintendent to grant first and 2nd priority for contracts and grants to specified applicants. The bill would require the chancellor and the Superintendent to agree upon an outcome-based evaluation for specified programs and initiatives, and to require applicants granted a contract or grant to submit annual outcome-based data, as specified, and report that data to the Governor and specified committees of the Legislature by March 1 of each year. The bill would reauthorize a community college district to enroll a high school pupil who is not a resident of that community college district in a program that is developed and implemented by the community college district pursuant to the Career Technical Education Pathways Program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellor and the Superintendent to develop an implementation strategy for the objectives of the Career Technical Education Pathways Program as a part of an annual expenditure plan, and to submit that strategy and plan to specified committees of the Legislature and the Department of Finance at least 30 days before taking an action to implement the expenditure plan. The bill would require and authorize the chancellor and the Superintendent to perform other specified functions relating to the administration of the Career Technical Education Pathways Program, and would make specified findings and declarations. The bill would require its provisions to be operative only in fiscal years for which funds have been appropriated by the Legislature expressly for purposes of the Career Technical Education Pathways Program.