(SACRAMENTO) âAssembly Bill 584 (AB 584) by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Orange County) was signed into law, by Governor Jerry Brown. AB 584 will help students improve their academic performance and make information about postsecondary education, and financial aid more widely available. This new law will bring together resources in Orange County for the purposes of improving academic performance, and providing information to underserved populations of Orange County.
âOrange County students overall, outscore, outperform, and outrank the state average on standardized testing and other measures of achievement, but minority students in the Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana school districts are far more likely to drop out of high school,â said Quirk-Silva. âWe have witnessed an education achievement gap, which is fueled by poverty, language and cultural barriers, lack of advocacy, and limited education support outside of the school system.â
âAs a teacher for over 30 years, I know it is more crucial than ever that we provide a high quality education for students and provide students with resources in order to support a well prepared workforce, safer communities, and a thriving economy,â said Quirk-Silva.
On April 13, 2017 the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) stated in their support that, âCal-SOAP is a unique program that provides intensive educational services to public school students in historically underserved areas and districts, helping thousands of young Californians prepare for college through 14 existing regional consortia. Expanding this program to include a new consortium in Orange County would allow CSAC and our regional partners to serve many more students in need of these services.â
More information about the bill can be found here.