AMENDED IN SENIOR ASSEMBLY OCTOBER 27, 2009

 

SENIOR ASSEMBLY PROPOSAL NO. 14

INTRODUCED BY SENIOR ASSEMBLY MEMBER SCHWARTZ

 

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AP 14: SENIOR TRAINING.

UNDER EXISTING LAW, THE GOVERNING BOARD OF ANY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT HAS THE POWER TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CLASSES FOR ADULTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN CIVIC, VOCATIONAL, LITERACY, HEALTH, HOMEMAKING, TECHNICAL, AND GENERAL EDUCATION.

THIS MEASURE WOULD MEMORIALIZE THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR TO ENACT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ESTABLISH PROGRAMS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS IN THE STATE THAT PROVIDE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR OLDER ADULTS SUCH AS PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE SADDLEBACK COLLEGE AS PART OF ITS EMERITUS INSTITUTE PROGRAM.

VOTE: MAJORITY.

 

AP 14: RELATING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES: SENIOR TRAINING

WHEREAS, THE WORLD, THE NATION, AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ARE IN THE MIDST OF A SEVERE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN. UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE STATE HAS REACHED DOUBLE DIGIT LEVELS, AFFECTING MOST SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY AND MANY BUSINESSES ARE APPROACHING BANKRUPTCY; AND

WHEREAS, OLDER ADULTS ARE PROBABLY THE FIRST TO BE LAID OFF, THIS SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION, AS WELL AS OTHERS IN THE GENERAL COMMUNITY, HAVE SEEN THEIR RETIREMENT SAVINGS DISAPPEAR AND THEIR STANDARDS OF LIVING DECLINE, AND REALIZE THE NEED TO RETURN TO THE WORKFORCE, OR TO CONTINUE WORKING IF CURRENTLY EMPLOYED; AND

WHEREAS, SENIORS NEED TO HAVE THE HOPE THAT THEIR NEEDS AND CONCERNS ARE BEING ADDRESSED AND FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY AND REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT HAVE BEEN MOSTLY TARGETED TO THE YOUNGER PART OF THE COMMUNITY; AND

WHEREAS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE IN A UNIQUE AND STRONG POSITION TO MEET THIS SITUATION BY BRINGING THE SENIOR POPULATION UP TO SPEED IN THE CURRENT EMPLOYMENT MARKET; AND

WHEREAS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE THE THIRD TIER IN THE CALIFORNIA HIGHER EDUCATION FAMILY, PRECEDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES; AND

WHEREAS, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES WERE CREATED TO BE A MEANS OF EDUCATING THOSE STUDENTS WHO, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, COULD NOT QUALIFY FOR, OR COULD NOT AFFORD, ENTRY INTO THE OTHER TWO TIERS OF THE EDUCATION FAMILY; AND

WHEREAS, WHEN BOTH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY BECAME MORE SELECTIVE IN ACCEPTING ENTRANTS INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE SYSTEMS, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES BECAME A PORT OF ENTRY; AND

WHEREAS, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES’ EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE BASED ON LIBERAL ARTS COURSES TO HELP THOSE WISHING TO MOVE UPWARDS IN THE HIGHER COLLEGE AREAS, AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, COMBINED WITH MANY TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL COURSES BEING OFFERED FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE EMPLOYMENT TRAINING; AND

WHEREAS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES SHOULD, FOR OLDER ADULTS, FOCUS ON WORKFORCE TRAINING AND RELEARNING, AS THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR THIS SERVICE; AND

WHEREAS, MANY WHO REACH 65 YEARS OF AGE ARE DEFERRING RETIREMENT DUE TO THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN THAT IS SAVAGING THEIR RETIREMENT SAVINGS AND THREATENING TO LOWER THEIR STANDARD OF LIVING, MAKING THE NEED FOR PROGRAMS TO HELP THEM EVEN MORE VITAL; AND

WHEREAS, COLLEGES OFTEN DO NOT TAILOR RETRAINING OFFERINGS TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS, BUT SIMPLY MARKET EXISTING COURSES AND SERVICES; AND

WHEREAS, OLDER ADULTS USUALLY HAVE TARGETED OBJECTIVES IN GAINING SPECIFIC WORK-RELATED SKILLS AS QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE; AND

WHEREAS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES NEED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF OLDER ADULTS AND DESIGN SERVICES THAT ARE PERTINENT, FLEXIBLE, AND CONVENIENT; AND

WHEREAS, IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, OLDER ADULT STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN LAID OFF, OR WORRY ABOUT LAYOFFS, WILL COME TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES FOR HELP AND HOPE IN EVEN GREATER NUMBERS; AND

WHEREAS, THE ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE CONVENIENCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND AFFORDABILITY, WHICH ARE FEATURES ATTRACTIVE TO OLDER ADULTS; AND

WHEREAS, OFFSITE LOCATIONS THAT ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO OLDER ADULTS REDUCE TRAVEL TIME AND COSTS AND FREE UP CLASSROOM SPACE, WHILE TAKING THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY; AND

WHEREAS, ADJUSTED FEES AND TUITION COULD BE CHARGED AT A RATE OLDER ADULTS COULD AFFORD; AND

WHEREAS, STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE SUFFERING FINANCIALLY DURING THE DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY, PROGRAMS AND LEGISLATION TO ALLEVIATE THESE CONDITIONS WOULD HELP THE STATE RECEIVE MORE TAX REVENUES FROM THE FACT THAT MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE GAINFULLY EMPLOYED; AND

WHEREAS, STRONG APPROACHES ARE ESSENTIAL TO HELP THE STUDENT AND THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER; AND

WHEREAS, SADDLEBACK COLLEGE, SEEING THE NEED AND CONCERNS OF OLDER ADULTS FOR LEARNING AND RETRAINING, FOUNDED THE SADDLEBACK COLLEGE EMERITUS INSTITUTE TO CREATE AND DELIVER LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO THAT SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION; AND

WHEREAS, A WIDE VARIETY OF COURSE OFFERINGS BY EXPERT INSTRUCTORS EXPERIENCED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS HAS MADE THE EMERITUS INSTITUTE EXTREMELY POPULAR AND SUCCESSFUL, AND IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING PROGRAMS AT THE SADDLEBACK COLLEGE; AND

WHEREAS, AS THE GENERATION OF BABY BOOMERS BECOME SENIOR CITIZENS, THE INSTITUTE CONTINUES TO GROW, OFFERING MORE AND MORE COURSES ADDRESSED TO THE OLDER ADULT SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION, ALL OF WHICH ARE STATE APPROVED AND OFFERED ON A CREDIT OR NONCREDIT BASIS, AND CONSIST OF COURSES IN ACCOUNTING, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, NURSING, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, AND OTHERS; AND

WHEREAS, THESE COURSE ARE PRESENTED TO THE STUDENTS AT 29 OFFSITE LOCATIONS WITHIN DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AT LIBRARIES, CHURCHES, COMMUNITY AND SENIOR CENTERS, MEETING ROOMS, AND OTHER LOCATIONS THAT ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE OLDER ADULT STUDENT COMMUNITY; AND

WHEREAS, WITH THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN OCCURRING TODAY, MEMBERS OF THE OLDER ADULT COMMUNITY ARE BEING AFFECTED ADVERSELY AS THEIR SAVINGS AND PENSIONS ARE BEING DECIMATED OR VANISHING, AND THEIR STANDARDS OF LIVING DECLINING, THE VITAL NEED TO CONTINUE EMPLOYMENT OR REENTER THE WORKFORCE HAS ARISEN; AND

WHEREAS, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS WITHIN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ARE EXTREMELY AND UNIQUELY ABLE, THROUGH SECTION 84757 OF THE EDUCATION CODE, TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE OLDER ADULT COMMUNITY THROUGH VARIOUS PROGRAMS WHICH COVER MANY TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL FIELDS NEEDED TO TRAIN OR RETRAIN OLDER ADULTS REENTERING OR STAYING IN THE WORKFORCE; AND

WHEREAS, THE SADDLEBACK COLLEGE HAS CREATED A VEHICLE TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS THROUGH ITS SADDLEBACK COLLEGE EMERITUS INSTITUTE BY OFFERING THESE VARIED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO THE OLDER ADULT COMMUNITY; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT

RESOLVED, BY THE SENIOR ASSEMBLY AND THE SENIOR SENATE, JOINTLY, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AT ITS 2009 REGULAR SESSION, A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS VOTING THEREFOR, HEREBY PROPOSES THAT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA PROVIDE PROGRAMS IN THE TRAINING OR RETRAINING OF OLDER ADULTS AND IN THE DELIVERY OF THESE SERVICES TO THE STUDENT REPLICATE THE SADDLEBACK COLLEGE EMERITUS INSTITUTE’S PROGRAMS; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA RESPECTFULLY MEMORIALIZES THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO ENACT APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ADDRESS THE CONCERNS SET FORTH IN THIS MEASURE; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT A COPY OF THIS MEASURE BE TRANSMITTED TO THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE, AND THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

RN 09 16585

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