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No Fee Policy
2023 - 2024
No tuition may be charged or collected in the following California Adult Education Program (CAEP) areas by either community colleges or K12 adult schools:
- Adult Elementary and Secondary Basic Skills, including programs leading to a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- Programs for immigrants eligible for educational services in citizenship, ESL, and workforce preparation;
- Adults, including but not limited to older adults, designed to develop knowledge and skills to help elementary and secondary school children succeed academically in school; and,
- Programs for adults with disabilities.
CTE Programs:
For the purposes of this portion of the policy, career and technical education (CTE) programs include the following:
- Short term CTE with high employment potential;
- Adults, including but not limited to older adults, entering or reentering the workforce; and,
- Pre-apprenticeship conducted in coordination with one or more DAS approved apprenticeship programs.
- Community college non-credit CTE programs: No tuition may be charged or collected for career and technical education programs as prohibited by statute in California Education Code (this includes Short-Term CTE, Workforce Entry/Reentry, and Pre-Apprenticeship).
- K12 adult schools: Career and technical education programs offered by K12 adult schools are considered part of the CAEP program, but K12 adult school providers are allowed to charge fees for these programs. K12 adult CTE programs are subject to all state requirements under CAEP including course approval, credentialing, and student data reporting. The K12 adult CTE student fee structure must be included in the consortia annual plan.
Policy Reminders:
- This recommendation in no way infringes on K12 adult school or community college services that are governed by existing state regulations and California Education Code.
- The State will encourage the blending and leveraging of other fund sources with CAEP - such as on the K-12 side (LCFF apportionment), and on the college side (Community College apportionment) in addition to the many other adult education member & partner resources (for example, WIOA). With the exception of K12 adult school CTE (workforce entry/reentry and pre-apprenticeship) course offerings, no other CAEP program areas may charge fees or leverage/braid fees.