Career technical education: Nursing Pathway Pilot Program.

Existing law provides funding for career technical education programs, including through, among others, the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program and the Strong Workforce Program and a K–12 component of the Strong Workforce Program, with the purpose of creating, maintaining, supporting, encouraging, strengthening, and expanding the delivery of career technical education programs in the state, as provided. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to an appropriation of one-time funds for this purpose in the annual Budget Act or another statute, to allocate funding for the development of career pathways toward an associate degree in nursing at any of California's community colleges at schoolsites that serve pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to be known as the Nursing Pathway Pilot Program. The bill would require the Superintendent to allocate these funds to pilot local educational agencies, as defined to include school districts, county offices of education, state special schools, and charter schools, on the basis of an equal amount per unit of average daily attendance, as those numbers were reported at the time of the first principal apportionment for the 2022–23 fiscal year. The bill would require the Superintendent to select those pilot local educational agencies through a competitive application process by no later than July 1, 2024, based on an applicant's demonstrated ability with a community college to meet specified requirements. The bill would require the Superintendent to consult with the Board of Registered Nursing in the development of the competitive application process to ensure alignment with the Nursing Practice Act. The bill would require the selected pilot local educational agencies to expend allocated funds for, among other things, instructional materials aligned to the applicable science curriculum framework adopted by the State Board of Education and addressing the nursing profession. The bill would require the Superintendent to submit a report on the pilot program to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2028. The bill would require that a pupil who enrolls in a pilot program pursuant to these provisions earn credits towards an associate degree in nursing program at any California community college, as provided, and that a pupil who successfully completes a pilot program gains preferential enrollment status toward an associate degree in nursing program at any California community college if certain conditions are met. The bill would require the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to adopt policies to implement provisions regarding community colleges. The bill would require the Board of Registered Nursing to review and approve any nursing course curriculum provided as a part of the pilot program to ensure alignment with the Nursing Practice Act. To the extent this bill imposes additional duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.