New Assembly Bill Would Reform Accreditation Process

Assemblymember Rob Bonta has introduced AB 1942, a new bill sponsored by the CFT, that seeks to introduce transparency, due process, and accountability into the accreditation process for our colleges. Bonta described the four key components of the bill as follows:

• Introduces competition to the accreditation process: Allows community college districts to choose their accreditation agency.
• Restores transparency and accountability: Requires an accreditor to make decisions at a public hearing and requires public disclosure of income and expenditures of accreditors’ employees and contractors. Requires accreditation documents to be maintained for at least 10 years.
• Restores fairness to the accreditation process: Requires an accreditor to provide due process and notice to the public and colleges about evaluations and allows colleges to appeal decisions.
• Maintains integrity of the accreditation system: Eliminates potential conflicts of interest by accreditors. The integrity of the system is further ensured by requiring the accreditor to annually disclose to the public information regarding charges to member institutions, and fiscal data for the accreditor’s employees and contractors, including the source and amount of income and expenditures.

-AFT Advocate, Spring 2014

Reprinted with permission.