Public postsecondary education: Chancellor of the California Community Colleges: policy to award course credit for prior military education, training, and service.

(1) 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. Under existing law, the board of governors appoints the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to serve as the chief executive officer of the segment. Existing law requires the chancellor to determine by July 1, 2015, for which courses credit should be awarded for prior military experience. This bill would require, by September 1, 2019, the office of the chancellor, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, to develop a consistent policy to award military personnel and veterans who have an official Joint Services Transcript course credit for California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California State University General Education Breadth, or local community college general education requirements, as specified. The bill would also require the office of the chancellor and the academic senate to review and adjust this uniform policy to align it with policies of other public postsecondary educational institutions. The bill would require, by December 31, 2020, each community college district to have a policy consistent with the policy developed by the chancellor. The bill would require each community college campus to post on its Internet Web site the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this bill. Because this bill would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above, except that specified funding provided for community college districts shall be used to directly offset any mandated costs.