Adult education: consortia: carryover of allocated funds.

Existing law establishes the Adult Education Program under the administration of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Existing law requires the chancellor and the Superintendent, with the advice of the executive director of the State Board of Education, to divide the state into adult education regions and approve one adult education consortium in each of those regions. Existing law authorizes a community college district, school district, or county office of education, or a combination of these entities in a joint powers authority, to be members of an adult education consortium. Existing law requires, as a condition of receipt of an apportionment from the program, that an adult education consortium have a consortium-approved 3-year adult education plan, and approve a distribution schedule for apportionment to members of the consortium. Existing law requires that the amount distributed to a member of the consortium not be reduced, except as provided, unless the consortium makes specified findings related to the member for which the distribution would be reduced, including that the member has been consistently ineffective in providing services that address the needs identified in the adult education plan. This bill would authorize a consortium to reduce a member's allocation by no more than the amount of the member's carryover, as defined, if the consortium makes a finding by a majority vote, based on the member having excessive carryover for at least 2 consecutive fiscal years beginning with the 2022–23 fiscal year, that the member has been consistently ineffective in providing services that address the needs identified in the adult education plan. The bill would require a consortium with carryover from one or more prior fiscal years exceeding 20% to submit a written expenditure plan, as specified, to the chancellor and the Superintendent, and would require the chancellor and the Superintendent to prescribe and assign technical assistance to that consortium to ensure that adequate adult education services are provided to the region in proportion to the region's available funding.