New law brings free tuition to thousands of students of Silicon Valley community college
West Valley-Mission Community College District's tuition will be free for the next seven years for all students who live in San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Santa Clara or Saratoga, funded by about $2 million in property taxes from those communities. The opportunity is thanks to a recently signed law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Assembly Bill 3158, slated to sunset in 2031, applies to full-time, part-time and returning students in these areas. Full-time tuition costs about $1,100 a year, which students outside the area will still have to pay without state assistance. Officials say the initiative will fill equity gaps created by the California Promise program's limitations that leave out part-time and returning students.
Katakis, an 18-year-old psychology major, didn't know about the state promise program, which provides up to two years of free community college tuition for first-time students enrolled full time, so he isn't enrolled. He receives some financial aid, but said that's dwindled as he continues his studies to transfer to a four-year university and get into law enforcement. He said the initiative will not only help him, but his 50-year-old dad, a returning student intent on attending West Valley College.
"He was kind of hesitant in coming back to school, but it's even more incentive to just come back," Katakis told San José Spotlight. "It's an opportunity to complete what he never finished."
Most of the district's students aren't enrolled full time, with about 71.5% enrolled part time in the 2023 spring semester out of 6,520 students, according to district data. Roughly 22% of those students were first-generation college students and roughly 16.7% were 35 or older.
West Valley-Mission Community College District Chancellor Bradley Davis said part-time and older students who aren't eligible for the state program are often unable to attend full-time because they're working, raising children or unable to afford tuition as the cost of living soars. He said this initiative adds to other district programs, such as waiving child care and parking costs for students living in the district, and expands critical education access for students facing food and housing insecurity — growing issues about 66% and 53% of students statewide face respectively, according to 2023 data from the California Student Aid Commission.
"(Students) deserve this," Davis told San José Spotlight. "This is something that's been years in the making, and we've worked so hard to remove every barrier to student success that this in many ways was one of the final hurdles. It took a village to do."
The initiative follows the district's push to recruit students over 50 last year. It also adds to aging nonprofit Successful Aging Solutions & Community Consulting's pilot program Senior Guided Pathways which launched this semester at West Valley College. This novel pilot provides free courses to address barriers older residents may face, including ageism, returning to the workforce and a lack of programs specifically designed for them.
Assemblymember Marc Berman, who introduced AB 3158, said the program is vital for the increasing number of older or returning students. He said its potential success could push the state to support more programs like it, including a similar free tuition program implemented in the San Mateo Community College District a few years ago.
"You've got to walk before you run, so I think proving the ability to be successful at West Valley-Mission is a big step in doing that," Berman told San José Spotlight.
The initiative will help students enrolled in unique programs such as middle college, which allows high school students to enroll in college courses.
Sadie Scott, 17, is one of those students. She wants to pursue physics or astrophysics and is one of three children. Her mom is unemployed and she said going to school for free provides relief.
"Having resources really helps me navigate stuff independently without me putting that burden on her and allowing her to spend that time on finding work and improving her life," she told San José Spotlight.
Katakis said it will also help him save needed money.
"Food and gas are getting pretty expensive and just to have a couple extra dollars in the bank is a huge deal," he said.
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