San Mateo County gives $2M to community college district to expand student supports

With a $2 million grant from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, 500 more San Mateo County Community College District students will have access to the initiative.

County board President David Canepa joined the district Board of Trustees as well Chancellor Michael Claire and students Monday, April 19, to celebrate the additional funding at Skyline College in San Bruno.

The money from the county’s Measure K fund will pay into the Promise Scholars program, which waives two years of tuition for eligible students, pays toward book costs and offers support such as counseling and more supplemental services.

For Sanchez-Sevilla, she said the wraparound services are what make the Promise Scholars program special.

“It really feels like you are going through this college journey with someone else. You are never alone,” she said.

Beyond even the intensive counseling, Sanchez-Sevilla said the community established among students enrolled in the program was essential for her staying on track for graduation.

“You always have a sense of family,” she said.

Sanchez-Sevilla is expected to transfer from the Redwood City community college into the University of California system next fall, with her sights on a political science major and then maybe a master’s degree or law school program.

Mario Guzman, an immigrant from El Salvador who is prepared to transfer from Skyline College to the University of California system as well, also credited the Promise Scholars program for his academic success.

“I can confidently say the Promise Scholar program is the best thing that could happen to me,” he said.

What’s more, Guzman said the program helped him lay the groundwork to pursue his dream as a graphic design artist.

“Now I feel like I have the tools, the knowledge, the motivation to be the first person in my family to graduate from college,” he said.

Canepa said the experience of Guzman and others like him can be a model for helping the county recover from the pandemic by easing the path to quality education.

“Here’s the plan for COVID recovery — send 500 students to college for free,” Canepa said, of the program that prior to the grant had the capacity to accommodate 2,000 students across the district’s three schools.

Claire expressed his appreciation to the county for its contribution in a prepared statement.

“The county has given a big vote of confidence in our community colleges and especially in our local students. We know this program works and we know this funding will help educate critical workforce for San Mateo County,” he said.

Canepa worked with his fellow Supervisor Carole Groom as well as County Manager Mike Callagy, Claire plus district trustees John Pimentel and Maurice Goodman to direct the county financing to the community college system.

Pimentel lauded the contribution, while hoping that more work can be done to expand free community college programs.

“I believe the current leadership of our district and our Board of Trustees — we are going to bring free community college to San Mateo County, and this is the first step in that direction,” he said. “And I applaud the leadership of the county Board of Supervisors.”

To achieve that lofty goal, Pimentel said the district is also working with state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, who authored legislation granting the district greater flexibility to reduce tuition rates.

Senate Bill 659, which Becker crafted with support of local community college officials, advanced through the Senate Education Committee last week.

Becker appreciated the county contribution in a prepared statement as well.

“To me, investments like this are about improving equity and access to critical education and job training opportunities that are not readily available for all students graduating from under-resourced schools,” he said in a prepared statement.

Acknowledging the variety of efforts taken by governmental agencies to move the issue of free college forward, Trustee Lisa Petrides said she expects momentum to keep building.

“It just shows what you get when you have strength in the community. And it’s not just a district or just individual institutions and associations, but it’s really working together,” she said. “And to me, this is just the beginning of that.”

Applications are currently being accepted to enroll in the Promise Scholars program. Visit smccd.edu/promise to find out more information.

austin@smdailyjournal.com