Bill seeks to aid student college costs in the San Mateo County Community College District

Becker is being joined by Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, and Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, in authoring Senate Bill 893 which, if passed, would provide the community college district with the authority to charge less than $46 per unit for students who live within the boundaries of the district.

The legislation would also permit the district to waive fees altogether, an offer 2,000 students currently benefit from through the Promise Scholar Program. About 6,000 students currently qualify for the program which offers financial assistance with tuition, books, food, transportation and other fees.

“Our students face challenges that keep them from accessing, persisting in and completing at our colleges. Our district works every day to remove barriers — many of which are financial — so that students can focus on their academic career which will lead them to a prosperous professional career,” Chancellor Michael Claire said in the press release.

The district’s Board of Trustees recently dedicated $6.75 million of one-time funding to expand the program and additional support came from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in the form of a $2 million grant.

If the legislation is approved, the state would not fill in the gaps for lost revenue but the district would be able to expand the program to cover the costs of attendance for all 6,000 students who currently qualify for the program using existing local resources.

“Our district has the resources to do more for more — if we had the authority to do so. This bill will allow the San Mateo County Community College District to leverage local resources to help local students access a higher education,” Claire said.

Both Mullin and Berman lauded the proposal as an opportunity for community members who currently cannot afford tuition, students like Randy Lopez who said in the press release that he never believed he would have the financial stability to take classes without loans.

“Being a Promise Scholar helped me through financial and academic challenges as a full-time student and put my life into focus,” Lopez said. “It made me a well-rounded student to transition into the university lifestyle.”

Under the current state requirement, districts must charge at least $46 per unit which adds up to about $1,400 for tuition a year, board Trustee John Pimentel noted in the press release, calling the tuition “a barrier to many working adults who cannot afford such fees.”

“All county residents should be able to affordably complete college or a technical degree which is the most effective and lasting tool to foster broad social equity,” Pimentel said. “We don’t need to wait for federal or state funding because San Mateo County is blessed with strong property values and stable funding for SMCCCD. This bill systematically allows property owners to support social equity by leveling the economic playing field through free community college.”