In
California’s speed to ensure low-income students could afford at least a year
of higher education, some community colleges have ended up with surplus
assistance funds.
A new state
measure just signed into law this month provides funding for students’ first
year of studies at California community colleges. The bill was passed in response
to former President Barack Obama’s call for community colleges to offer two
free years of education under a proposed “America College Promise” program.
However,
according to a report in the San Diego Union Tribune, a number of community colleges started their own Promise
programs before the state did. As a result, some have more money to support
first-year students than they need.
The San
Diego Community College District, for example, launched a pilot program in 2016
and raised $300,000 to pay for more than 200 area students to attend at no
cost. The district had planned to raise another $700,000 for the program this
year. Palomar College secured $1.5 million in donations for its Promise
program. Other colleges have similar amounts to set aside to aid students and
are now trying to figure out how the money should be used in view of the new
law, especially since approximately 60% of California’s community-college
students already qualify for tuition-fee waives due to their low income.
Some
schools are considering using their Promise funds to help students with
textbooks or other costs. Because the new state law is aimed at helping first-year
students only, some colleges said they may earmark their Promise money to
assist second-year students or dropouts who want to return.
