Legislative Update

View the legislative bills report here. (updated April 11, 2025)

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April 11, 2025

50% Law Audit Released

The big news in the community college world this week was the release of the California State Auditor’s report, titled “California Community Colleges: Oversight of the 50% Law Is Ineffective, and the Law Could Be Amended to Better Support Students.” 

The audit examined ten community college districts’ compliance with the 50% Law, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office’s (CCCCO) oversight of districts’ compliance, and overall district investment in administrators compared to faculty and support staff. The report notes the three key issues: 

• The 50% Law limits districts’ ability to fund services outside of the classroom that support student success
• The CCCCO’s limited oversight allowed multiple districts to inaccurately report their compliance rates
• Available data indicates that districts’ investment in administrators has increased at a greater rate than their investment in faculty

While the report does not offer any recommendations to community college districts (CCDs), it does offer several recommendations for the Legislature and CCCCO to consider. 

Recommendations to the Legislature

• Amend the 50% Law to better reflect modern educational needs by classifying the salaries and benefits of librarians and counselors as “Instructor Salaries” to allow more flexibility for districts to fund critical student support services and consider increasing the compliance threshold above 50% 
• Exclude certain instructional technology expenses from the calculation formula given the growing role of technology in instruction
• Require the CCCCO to report consistent data on basic needs services spending to allow the Legislature to determine whether it should add additional basic needs services spending to Instructor Salaries, or the numerator of the calculation formula
• Require that districts justify new administrative positions, including reporting the expected impact on student success and annually disclosing related data to the state

Recommendations for the CCCCO

• Update the accounting manual by September 2025 to include a specific code for basic needs services and define what services should be tracked under it
• Enhance district training on accurate reporting for the 50% Law 

• Review district-submitted financial reports to catch basic errors and clarify guidance on lottery fund usage
• Establish a clear policy for verifying that noncompliant districts submit and certify corrective compliance plans
• Improve the accuracy of staffing and salary data by checking for implausible entries and instituting mandatory training for all districts on proper data submission practices

It will be interesting to see if lawmakers look to amend bills to address the recommendations made by the State Auditor or if the CCCCO looks to implement the reforms offered by the report. 

Assembly Higher Education Committee Approves Dual Enrollment Bills

This past Tuesday, April 8, 2025, the Assembly Higher Education Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), met to consider 17 bills, including three bills related to dual enrollment that we summarize below. 

AB 731—CCAP Application Process

As amended on March 27, 2025, Assembly Bill (AB) 731 (Fong) would require College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) protocols to authorize a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil’s attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. The bill would also revise the CCAP partnership provisions to eliminate the requirement that the protocols require principal recommendation. 

The bill would also clarify that courses can be offered either in person at a high school or community college campus or in an online format. The bill also defines synchronous and asynchronous delivery models for the purpose of CCAP agreements. Those definitions are as follows:  

• Synchronous: Classroom-style instruction or designated small group or one-on-one instruction delivered in the form of internet or telephonic communications and involving live two-way communication between the teacher and pupil 
• Asynchronous: A program in which a pupil and teacher interact using online resources, including, but not limited to, discussion boards, websites, and email; however, the pupil and teacher need not necessarily be online at the same time 

The bill also requires CCDs and K-12 local educational agencies (LEAs) to annually report high school pupils who successfully complete 12 or more units by graduation, complete a certificate, or complete the courses required for an associate degree or an associate degree for transfer. 

The bill was approved 9-0 by the committee and will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee on April 30, 2025.

AB 988—CCAP Taskforce

As amended on April 10, 2025, AB 988 (Fong) would establish a dual enrollment advisory board to the provide input and feedback to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI). The advisory board would be composed of a number of individuals from the higher education and K-12 segments, including the following from the California Community Colleges (CCC): one community college faculty member who has taught a CCAP course, a representative from the Academic Senate, a community college administrator, and the Chancellor of the CCC. 

The bill would require the SSPI, in collaboration with the advisory board, to develop a statewide dual enrollment framework to provide guidance for how dual enrollment programs should operate in the state to reach all of the following goals:

• Developing seamless pathways from high school to public postsecondary educational institutions 
• Helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness
• Providing universal access to dual enrollment courses to all public high school pupils

The bill was approved 9-0 by the committee and will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee on April 30, 2025. 

AB 1122—Dual Enrollment Mandate

As amended on April 10, 2025, AB 1122 (Bryan, D-Los Angeles) would require, beginning with the 2029-30 academic year, an LEA serving high school students that does not already have a dual enrollment program to establish a program with the governing board of a CCD. The bill requires the courses offered through a dual enrollment program to lead to a degree, credential, certificate, or transfer. The bill requires an LEA to form a formal partnership with a CCD through a CCAP partnership, an early college high school, or a middle college high school. 

The bill was approved 9-0 by the committee and will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee on April 30, 2025.