Legislators submit bill to make free community college permanent for residents living in San Mateo County

“Community college changes lives, and costs should never be a reason that somebody is locked out of opportunity,” Becker said in a press conference held at College of San Mateo Friday. 

Alongside Becker and Papan at the community college campus were district leaders and students who have directly benefited from Free College, a program that waives the state’s mandatory $46 per unit enrollment fee for tuition. 

Board Trustee John Pimentel, an early and major proponent of Free College, said waiving costs for community college tuition is the “most effective and efficient investment that government can make in social equity.” 

“The faculty [in this district] feels great pride in our ability to offer Free College for every San Mateo County resident, including undocumented residents, so they all can enjoy that first run on the ladder of upward economic mobility,” Pimentel said. 

More than 33,500 students have received support through Free College, and enrollment of local students has increased by 24% since the program was implemented. Over half of the students benefiting are first-generation. 

For Foreign Makahili, a student at Skyline College studying sociology and psychology, “being able to attend college without worrying about tuition changed everything.” 

Makahili went through the foster system and the justice system, and wasn’t sure higher education would be a possibility, let alone an affordable one. That changed when Makahili learned about the district’s program.

“Free College gave me the opportunity to focus on learning, instead of just surviving,” Makahili said. 

Enrolling in college equipped Makahili to find a job, but the impact extends far beyond obtaining a degree and building an income.

“Studying psychology and sociology isn’t just about a career for me, it’s about understanding myself, understanding others and learning how to make better choices,” Makahili said. “I believe when you know better you do better. Free College didn’t just help me enroll in school, it helped me build a new identity.” 

Since fall 2022, the district has piloted a program to gauge the feasibility and success of waiving tuition costs for San Mateo County residents interested in pursuing higher education and obtaining a degree. The pilot was made possible by the authorization of a previous bill, also authored by Becker. 

“This builds on a successful pilot, because that’s what we do here in Silicon Valley,” Becker said. “We try new ideas, we innovate, we pilot them and if it works, we scale it.” 

Making Free College permanent will provide a “stable, predictable pathway” for San Mateo County students and families, Chancellor Melissa Moreno said.

“This moment is not just about legislation, it’s about our students, it’s about opportunity,” Moreno said. “This is a generational impact.” 

Papan said she’s proud to co-author the bill and shepherd it through the legislative process. 

“We are on our way to a tremendously successful permanent program for the prosperity of students in our community,” Papan said. “This represents a permanent promise for not only our students but our community.”