San Mateo Daily Journal Guest Op-Ed
By John Pimentel
Sacramento lawmakers have the ability to make community college free for thousands of San Mateo County students. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, authored and Assemblymembers Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, and Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, have co-authored Senate Bill 893 which allows the San Mateo County Community College District to use existing local funds to reduce or eliminate the cost of attendance and cover other educational expenses for students in need such as text books, housing and transportation.
We are all aware that the cost of living in San Mateo County is one of the highest in the nation. The total cost of enrollment — including tuition, fees, books, technology, transportation, food, rent and other living expenses such as child care — can exceed $15,000 per year for community college students.
Existing state dollars only allow San Mateo County community colleges to provide free nrollment in our Promise Scholars program to about 2,000 students across our three campuses: Cañada College in Redwood City, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College in San Bruno. If SB 893 advances and provides SMCCCD with more flexibility to use existing local district dollars, we could potentially serve 4,000 to 6,000 students who need financial assistance to make college a reality.
SB 893 will allow our district to bridge inequities throughout our county by making college more accessible and affordable for students, particularly those in marginalized and underrepresented communities. Though San Mateo County is economically prosperous in comparison to other areas of the state, there are significant opportunity, economic and educational gaps within our community. The flexibility to use local funds to support these communities will have life-changing impacts on students.