SACRAMENTO – North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday to ensure that the 70 percent of California's students who will not go on to obtain a four-year degree will have a greater opportunity to receive the career and job skills they deserve.

Career technical education programs have suffered from severe cuts in funding, while the importance of the programs have grown due to the state’s rebounding economy.

Sen. McGuire is proud to lead a bipartisan coalition that will ensure that students of California can receive the job and career skills they need to thrive. 

The legislation was jointly authored by Sen. Connie M. Leyva and co-authored by Republican Senate Leader Bob Huff, Senators Isadore Hall, Tony Mendoza, Andy Vidak and Ben Allen, and Assemblymembers Bill Dodd, Jim Wood and Autumn Burke.

The legislation – The Career and Job Skills Education Act, or SB 148 – would appropriate $600 million of Prop 98 funds to a career technical education (CTE) incentive grant for local educational agencies, joint power authorities, and regional occupational centers and programs.

“We are at a time when the rapid growth of California’s population and labor force depends on attracting, supporting, and retaining businesses that pay sustainable wages to highly skilled and qualified workers. Improvement in the overall quality of the workforce is a vital component of the economic development of California,” McGuire said.

Career technical education has proven to not only significantly reduce high school dropout rates, but motivate more than 70 percent of high school students who have been involved in CTE programs to pursue higher education shortly after graduation.

The Career and Job Skills Education Act closely mirrors, in language and intent, the CTE incentive matching grant program outlined in the Governor’s 2015-16 budget proposal.

It expands upon that $250 million, using funds from the anticipated billions in growth of Proposition 98 funds.

“For the first time, this is a bill that will ensure funds go directly to CTE programs by requiring rigorous performance standards and accountability measures based on student outcomes,” McGuire added.

In addition, the bill is specifically tailored to districts by preserving the local control funding formula.