Community colleges: accreditation.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law specifies the duties of the board of governors, including, among other duties, establishing minimum standards for the formation of community colleges and districts. Under its existing regulatory authority, the board of governors requires each community college to be accredited and has designated the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges as the accrediting agency. This bill would require the board of governors, on or before January 1, 2016, to report to the Legislature (1) the feasibility of creating an independent accrediting agency to accredit the California Community Colleges and 2-year private postsecondary educational institutions for purposes of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 and state-authorized financial aid, (2) based on a thorough examination of community college accreditation nationwide, a recommendation of whether the state would be best served by using a specified accrediting agency for all California public postsecondary educational institutions, and (3) the potential for using multiple accrediting agencies to ensure that the California Community Colleges are of the highest quality, as provided.