|
California STC Policy Network
AB 1873 was a California Assembly bill chaptered into law during the 1999-2000 legislative session.
More info:
Download . . .
Governor Davis Signs School-to-Career Legislation to Build Business and Education Partnership
Sacramento, CA - (September 28, 2000) - Building on his strong commitment to improving education, Governor Gray Davis signed into law a bill (AB1873) that provides $2 million to strengthen local School-to-Career Partnerships that promote connections between schools and businesses.
"As the next century swiftly approaches, it is critical that California's workforce is capable of competing in a global marketplace," said Governor Davis. "School-to-Career is about integrating rigorous academic standards with relevant, real-world learning experiences to help ensure that students enter college and the workforce with the education and skills necessary to succeed. I am proud to support this important initiative."
The legislation, introduced by Assemblywoman Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa), will help ensure the success of local School-to-Career partnerships that provide opportunities for students to improve academic performance and better prepare for college and careers through relevant curriculum and work-based learning opportunities. AB 1873 also rallied strong support from the business community.
"School to Career initiatives are important in helping students understand the direct correlation between school work and getting that paycheck," said Automobile Club of Southern California president/CEO Tom McKernan. California is the first state to pass such a bill that legislates School-to-Career into the education code. Currently there are 47 active School-to-Career partnerships across the state. Management of School-to-Career funds will be through the Office of the California Secretary for Education working with the State Department of Education, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges, and Health and Human Services Agency.
In addition to his strong support for this bill, Governor Davis is featured on Public Service Announcements for School-to-Career on television stations such as KPIX in San Francisco and KCBS in Los Angeles.
CONTACT: Ken Sorey, BaySCAN
(408) 938-1530
Business Applauds State Commitment to STC (September 5, 2000)
Keep those letters to the Governor coming...asking him to sign AB 1873 into legislation. Letters of support can be faxed to the Governor's Office at (916) 327-1009.
Below is just one sample of partner organizations that are sending out press releases regarding the legislation. Some of you may be waiting for the Governor's signature, but thought you might like to see this one. Thanks to the Bay Area Council, serving San Francisco Bay Area counties, for this one:
Contacts:
Sunne Wright McPeak
President, BAY AREA COUNCIL
415-981-6600
Suzanne Goldstein
Director of Employment Engagement, BAY AREA COUNCIL
415-981-6600
Elizabeth Grant
Director of Communications, BAY AREA COUNCIL
415-981-6600
BUSINESS APPLAUDS $5 MILLION IN STATE COMMITMENT TO INNOVATIVE SCHOOL-TO-CAREER PARTNERSHIPS
SAN FRANCISCO, September 1, 2000 -- The Assembly passed AB 1873 School-to-Career Opportunities yesterday, ensuring $5 million of continued funding. The Senate had already approved this legislation Wednesday. The program bridges vital connections between area businesses and schools. It helps sustain numerous business-education-community partnerships that provide innovative classroom and career experiences for thousands of Bay Area students.
"I'm glad to see California take a leadership position on School-to-Career," said Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. "Our member companies are major supporters of educational improvement here in the Bay Area. They recognize the need for consistent support for educational activities that promote academic achievement and create a well-prepared workforce." She cited the efforts of many area companies, among them Nasdaq, Charles Schwab, Autodesk, Cisco, Bank of America and Kaiser-Permanente that support education through internships, industry advisors and contributions.
"School-to-Career is a key workforce development strategy for area business. These initiatives help the Bay Area to bridge the Digital Divide by growing our own skilled workforce through partnerships with the public schools," said Alice Ostrovsky, program manager, workforce development, Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk, Inc. is the world's leading supplier of design software and digital content creation tools.
"School-to-Career is a local effort. Partnerships between educators and businesses are essential for a healthy economic future," said McPeak. School-to-Career partnerships link schools and businesses to provide innovative classroom projects, summer internships, mentoring, job shadowing and career awareness programs for thousands of students.
Conservative estimates by Workforce Silicon Valley, the STC intermediary in Santa Clara County, have shown more than a 2 to 1 return on investment of public dollars. Employers also provide opportunities for teachers to spend time in the workplace to see the skill requirements and environment of leading area companies firsthand. STC partnerships serve all students and encourage students to raise their career aspirations, stay in school, and pursue higher education.
"Autodesk works closely with local schools and students because they are the future talent and innovators who will power our industry," said Autodesk, Inc's Ostrovsky.
The legislature assigned responsibility for School-to-Career in California to an interagency partnership consisting of the Secretary of Education, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Health and Human Services. This represents the many areas that School-to-Career influence.
The bill provides $5 million dollars of interim funding to support the connecting activities provided by local School-to-Career Partnerships. The legislation next goes to the governor for his signature.
The Bay Area Council is a CEO-led, business-sponsored public policy organization founded in 1945 to promote regional economic prosperity and quality of life. The Council presents a strong, united voice for more than 230 major employers from throughout the region to help shape public policy affecting transportation, environmental quality, economic development, housing and land use, sustainable development, water policy, education and workforce preparation, and telecommunications infrastructure.
# # #
Show Governor Your Support (September 1, 2000)
Fax your letter of support to (916) 327-1009.
By now, everyone across the state (and nationally!) knows about the legislature passing AB 1873. This only happened because all of you rallied your partners to let Sacramento know how important this was to your community! This is how important coalitions are built -- California is really setting the pace thanks to all of you. Thanking our supporters is so important -- please take a moment to extend thanks on behalf of your community to your representative.
The Bill must be signed by the Governor to be implemented. One last call -- letters faxed to his office encouraging his signature -- will do it (for this year).
The fax number is (916) 327-1009.
The week (after Labor Day) is important. Thanks again for all of your hard work! You can see the Bill on the state assembly's Web site. If you have any questions contact:
David Rattray UniteLA
(213) 482-3987
Jim Lawson Workforce Silicon Valley
(408) 271-3930
*** AB 1873 Passes! *** (August 31, 2000)
AB1873 has jumped the highest hurdles! Talk about Olympic material!
The Assembly voted in favor of AB 1873 School To Career late this morning (Thursday, Aug 31)! The legislation now moves to the governor for signature. We have indications that this will happen next week. Congratulations to all who helped in this effort. It is an important milestone for School To Career and our local partnerships in California!
AB 1873 passed because people from across the state got behind it, got engaged in the process, and showed unwavering support. We are so lucky to have the energy of Jim Lawson (Workforce Silicon Valley) and David Rattray (Unite LA). The big work is ahead, but wow!
*** ACTION ALERT *** (August 25, 2000)
ACTION MUST HAPPEN BEFORE AUGUST 31ST!
To find your legislator, see
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
or contact links below.
It looks like there is genuine interest, but this final push is the most important of all!
We received word that AB 1873 School To Career will be moved out of Senate Appropriations in the next few DAYS. This will bring it to a vote of the full senate soon. If it receives a 2/3 vote in the senate (which we certainly hope it will!), the Bill then returns to the Assembly for concurrence. This is because amendments were made by the author while the Bill was on the senate side.
Assuming passage in the senate, the Bill needs a 2/3 vote on the Assembly side. We cannot take anything for granted, even if it passed before. If approved by the Assembly, it will then go to the Governor for his signature.
Now is the time to contact your local supporters and let them know THIS issue is coming down to the FINAL VOTE (and THIS VOTE INCLUDES THE FUNDING). This will be the last opportunity for them to express their opinion on School To Career for this legislative session. The Senate, Assembly and Governor WILL ALL be taking action on the Bill before the end of this legislative session. Any support we can find will be appropriate at this time. Thanks for all your help and support. We¼ve come a long way and are now in the final stretch!
You can locate phone numbers, addresses, and email information for legislators in your area by checking the following web addresses. Please provide the contact info to your partners so they can call or write TODAY (or verrry soon):
California Senate: http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/senators.ht
California Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp
Status Report AB 1873 (July 21, 2000)
(Click here to download an RTF file of this report.)
STC SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS AT THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
STATUS - California Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins introduced Assembly Bill 1873 (School To Career) into the legislative process in February of this year. AB 1873 was passed by the Assembly and is currently working its way through the State Senate. Funding to support local partnerships is currently included in a separate bill. Passage of the interim funding is uncertain at this point.
AB 1873 - The Bill can be read in its latest form.
HISTORY - At the 1999 Summer STC Academy meeting in Palm Springs, many people expressed concern about sustainable funding for School to Career activities in California. It was at this meeting that the ACSA/CESESA STC Task Force under the leadership of Barbara Nemko (Napa County Superintendent of Schools) and the BaySCAN Policy Committee under the leadership of Bob Pearlman (then president of the Autodesk Foundation) merged to form the STC Policy Committee.
This group quickly organized two events. The first was two meetings with Gary Hart, then Governor Davis' Secretary of Education, on September 16th. The first involved students, teachers and principals from three counties (Napa, Marin and Oakland). They reported on the success of STC activities and the educational value they had received. The second involved area business people who advocated for state support for STC activities to assure a professional workforce.
On Sept. 28th Assemblymember Kerry Mazzoni, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, invited leaders of the Policy Committee to report on progress made by School To Career in California. Ms. Mazzoni heard about progress in STC throughout the State. She stated that she would carry legislation in support of STC connecting activities. She felt that the connecting activities and teacher preparation programs which support STC strategies are most in need of state support.
The California STC Policy Committee drafted and circulated a policy statement and a call to action for those who support School To Career activities in California. On February 3rd an STC Briefing Day was held at the state capitol in Sacramento. Students, teachers, labor and business partners from around the state visited their legislators and informed them of the value of STC and the need to fund ongoing connecting activities.
Following this Legislative Briefing Day, members of the STC Policy Committee were invited to the office of Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins. She is a strong supporter of workforce development and volunteered to author legislation on behalf of School To Career. She asked the committee to provide technical assistance to her staff in authoring legislation.
The STC Policy Committee met with staff people from Assemblymembers Wiggins, Lempert and Reyes. They approved draft legislation which would provide funding for connecting activities. Included in this discussion was the need to fund partnerships whose federal grant monies expire in the year 2000.
Sean MacNeil, aide to Assemblymember Wiggins drafted language which eventually became Assembly Bill 1873 (School To Career).
This bill would make School To Career activities part of the California Educational system. The bill establishes:
- The interagency partnership (Employment Development Department, California Department of Education and the Community College Chancellor's Office) for School To Career Programs.
- The Governor's School To Career Advisory Council
- Grants to Local Partnerships to provide connecting activities in geographic areas.
Local partnerships are required to submit grant applications. These applications must provide a detailed one year plan and an acceptable five year plan that demonstrate the following:
- All students have access to the activities developed in the region
- An ability to leverage funds and contributions from various entities
- An ability to build on workforce development and educational programs already operating in the state.
- An ability to provide school based learning, workbased learning and service learning.
- A significant level of participation and contributions from business and labor.
- To be inclusive of all interested parties.
The bill also includes an accountability requirement. One of the areas of difficulty we've experienced is an overall lack of performance results. This will assist STC practitioners in justifying the success of STC activities.
The primary goal of the bill is funding. A strategy was created to provide $8.5 million in funding for the eight partnerships whose funding ends with the 1999 - 2000 budget cycle. Following this, local partnerships would provide a five year plan with estimated funding requirements. The funding would include an annual $500,000 for the Interagency Partnership to pay for administrative and support services.
The language for funding was not included in AB 1873. Rather it was proposed through the Appropriations Committees and the Governor's Office.
Meetings were held with Tim Gage, the Governor's Budget Secretary, and Tim Gotch, the Governor's Legislative Affairs Secretary. Mr. Gage indicated he would not support the request and Mr. Gotch indicated he would. Unfortunately, the next year's funding was not included in the Governor's Budget.
When the budget was formulated by the legislature, the funding was included in the Assembly version. It was not included in the Senate version. The joint version, which was negotiated by the Joint Conference Committee, did not include STC funding.
Assemblymember Wiggins continues to lobby for the funding with the Governor's Office. Sen. Patrick Johnston, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is helping her with this effort.
AB 1873 was approved by the Assembly Education Committee on March 29th. It was then passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 24th, and finally by the entire Assembly on June 1st.
The bill next moved to the Senate. It was approved by the Senate Education Committee on July 5th and is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. After Senate Appropriations, (if we are approved by a majority of the members of the committee) the Bill will be heard before the entire Senate. This should occur in late August.
The passage of AB 1873 will be an important long term victory for School To Career in California. It authorizes the legislature to fund STC activities; it establishes the interagency partnership and charges the Governor's STC Advisory Council with oversight and the creation of a long term plan. This is a positive outcome for STC efforts to date.
It is disappointing that the $8.5 million was not funded in this year's budget. According to Ms. Wiggins' office, there is still an opportunity to secure the funding this year. She is working diligently to accomplish this.
We have learned a great deal from the activities of the past few months. In correspondence with the California Department of Education we understand they have some concerns about the bill. We need to do more work with them to explain the logic and rational for the legislation as it is now stands.
Sincere thanks are extended to Patricia Wiggins for her leadership and deeply felt commitment for School To Career. Her aide, Sean Mac Neil, has worked tirelessly in understanding, authoring and shepherding this bill through the legislature. Staff members Brad Strong, Rona Sherriff and Daniel Kim have provided important assistance at many critical points.
School To Career received extremely valuable support from the bill's co-authors:
Assemblymembers: Calderon, Dickerson, Kuehl, Lempert, Lowenthal, Machado, Mazzoni, Papan, Romero, Strom-Martin, Tnomson, Washington and Zettel
Senators: Johnston, Perata, Rainey, Solis, Speier and Vasconcellos
Special thanks to all the members of the California STC Policy Committee who contributed their expertise to issue.
Thanks to all the students, teachers, business partners and education leaders who testified in favor of the bill and provided their support to STC efforts in California.
Update on AB 1873 (May 3, 2000)
The California School-to-Career Policy Network is excited about recent legislation that will create a new statewide investment to address school improvement and economic development, AB 1873. AB 1873 recently successfully passed the Assembly Education Committee and is now going before the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The full text of the bill can be found at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.
AB 1873 addresses the issue of educational improvement in California. Currently there are forty-seven organizations in California providing vital support for schools. They enable educators and businesses to jointly address the challenges impacting our students. These organizations, known as School-to-Career Partnerships, provide the necessary activities to improve academic rigor and career readiness.
Without the passage of AB 1873 continuation of these partnerships will be drastically reduced or eliminated. This will deprive many students throughout California of the ability to participate in rich learning opportunities. Research in California (see recent data--put link here) and across the country indicates that students involved in School To Career programs out-perform control groups in graduation rate, grade-point average, attendance, college-going rate, college retention, employment rate and earnings. California cannot afford to fall behind other states in these areas.
AB 1873 allows the existing partnerships, originally funded under the federal School To Work Act, to build and strengthen their activities. It provides the organizations the chance to secure additional support while continuing to improve our educational system.
If you would like information about how to support AB 1873, contact .
Legislative Briefing Day (Feb 3, 2000)
On February 3 over 60 people from across the entire state testified in support of STC. Attending policy makers included: Don Perata, Ted Lempert and staff, Rod Wright's office, Assemblymember Nakano's office, Rodger Mackensen (Senate Republical Fiscal Office, Education budget), Lynne Faulks of CTA, Assemblymember Wiggins' office, and more...
Visits to representatives followed the presen-tations from students, employers, labor, and educators. By 2:00 p.m., over 45 represen-tatives had received visits. This was a great "first step"!
The Steering Committee met on February 11 to plan next steps and recommended language for possible legislation. Download the meeting notes.
If you participated in the briefing and visits, the names of any representatives that you visited. Include their party, district, and level of support (favorable, etc.).
|
A S t a t e w i d e
C a l l t o A c t i o n
Follow AB 1873
September 28, 2000:
Governor Signs AB 1873!
September 5, 2000:
Business Applauds State
September 1, 2000:
Governor's Signature
August 31, 2000:
AB 1873 Passes!
August 25, 2000:
AB 1873 Final Push!
July 21, 2000:
AB 1873 Status Report
May 3, 2000:
AB 1873 Update
Feb 3, 2000:
Legislative Briefing Day
School-to-Career Evaluation Summary spotlights STC's benefits to California
Read the California
STC Policy Network's:
Feb 11, 2000 Policy Meeting Notes
Memorandum on the State Role in Supporting STC Initiatives
Call to Action To Build & Sustain STC Learning Opportunities For California Students & Teachers
View the growing list of
STC Policy Endorsements
|
