California to Resume Oversight of Private Postsecondary Schools

The Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act became inoperative on June 30, 2007 and was repealed on January 1, 2008. There has been no regulatory body with oversight of private postsecondary schools since then. In response, on October 11, 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 48 into law. The law establishes the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) within the Department of Consumer Affairs. It will likely take several months for the new bureau to get up and running, however, California will again have oversight of private postsecondary schools. Next Steps Schools that were previously approved through the BPPVE will automatically have an approval extension for 3 years. Schools that opened after June 30, 2007, can continue to operate without penalty as long as they disclose to students that they are not currently approved. Applications should be available by mid-2010 and schools will have 6 months to submit them for approval. Melanie Gourley is ABMP’s school liaison for California and she can be reached at Melanie@abmp.com. To read the entire bill at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_48_bill_20091011_chaptered.pdf