§3217.1. Louisiana Community and Technical College System

            A. The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is composed of the institutions under the supervision and management of the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges as follows:

            (1) Baton Rouge Community College.

            (2) Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier Parish.

            (3) Central Louisiana Technical Community College.

            (4) Delgado Community College.

            (5) Elaine P. Nunez Community College.

            (6) L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College.

            (7) Louisiana Delta Community College.

            (8) Northshore Technical Community College.

(9) Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

            (10) River Parishes Community College.

            (11) South Louisiana Community College.

            (12) Sowela Technical Community College.

            (13) All public postsecondary technical colleges which provide vocational-technical education.

            (14) Any other community college, technical college, or other institution or program now or hereafter under the supervision and management of the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges.

            B. The transfer of any institution of higher education to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System effected by this Section on July 1, 1999, shall not change the mission of or adversely affect the accreditation of such institution.

            C.(1) In recognition of the critical importance and value of vocational and technical education in the implementation of initiatives, including college and career readiness, workforce development, adult learning, and workforce competitiveness, that are necessary to the fulfillment of the constitutional goal of providing learning environments, at all stages of human development, that are designed to promote excellence in order that every individual may develop to his full potential, to comply with the provisions of Article VIII, Section 7.1(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana, and in recognition of the critical importance and high value the services emanating from such initiatives have for the citizens of this state, this Subsection provides for and requires the thoughtful, but timely, reorganization of vocational and technical education services within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

            (2)(a) Not later than August 16, 2005, the commissioner of higher education shall appoint or assign a person with the appropriate expertise and background to research, prepare, and propose a plan for the organization of the technical division in compliance with this Subsection for presentation to the board in time for the thoughtful consideration of its members and action by the board as required in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection.

            (b) In preparing such plan, the person shall consider and account for the population patterns across the state, the enrollment patterns in the various institutions of postsecondary education in the state, the evidence of commuting patterns in each area of the state, the level of accreditation of the various community colleges and other institutions that are part of the Community and Technical College System, and the programs in place at the various institutions.

            (c) In researching the plan, the person shall consult with representatives of the students to be served, the faculty of the institutions involved, the businesses and industries in each region, and the members of the legislature in each region.

            (d)(i) The plan shall include a proposal to reconfigure the state level technical resources to become the technical division of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

            (ii) The function of the state level unit shall include:

            (aa) Statewide leadership and coordination of rapid-response workforce development.

            (bb) Statewide leadership on adult learning with an emphasis on developing the community and technical college capacity as providers of adult literacy and adult education services.

            (cc) Professional development and other support services to the institutions providing for technical education and workforce development.

            (dd) Curriculum development.

            (ee) Advocacy for the technical education mission with the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges.

            (3)(a)(i) Not later than February 15, 2006, the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges shall take action on the proposed plan for technical division as provided in this Section.

            (ii) Not later than March 15, 2006, the technical division and the requirements of this Subsection shall be operational.

            (b) The technical division shall define regions based on evidence of commuting patterns and regional labor markets.

            (c) The administrative and operational leadership structure for each region shall be established according to the variation of the institutions and components that are part of or planned for the region in compliance with the plan approved and made operational by the board of supervisors.

            (d) Such structure shall include providing for regional coordinating authority that will bring about the greatest efficiency in administering technical services within the region which shall include the preparation and submission to the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges for its approval an annual proposed operational and capital outlay budget for each institution, based on a budget submitted by the head of each such institution in the region, and a proposed budget for the operation of his office.

            D.(1) Beginning July 1, 2010, and thereafter, the board of supervisors shall:

            (a) Adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to establish, operate, and maintain a statewide program of adult education to eliminate adult illiteracy and to provide opportunities for adults to pursue a course or courses of study which upon completion will entitle them to be issued a Louisiana high school equivalency diploma.

            (b) Fully fund the cost of a statewide adult education program and shall allocate such funds appropriated therefor based on an adopted formula.

            (2) Each program of adult education shall meet eligibility criteria established and adopted by the board and be subject to the overall administration and supervision provided by this Subsection. Quality indicators and performance-based criteria, as established and adopted by the board, shall be used to allocate funds on an annual basis.

            Acts 1997, No. 917, §1, eff. July 10, 1997; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 151, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2005, No. 506, §1; Acts 2010, No. 132, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2010, No. 732, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 163, §1; Acts 2011, No. 209, §1, eff. June 27, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 760, §1, eff. June 12, 2012; Acts 2019, No. 287, §1.