A new California law offers to waive tuition costs for the first year of community college to eligible students, raising questions about the source of the funding.
Some college officials are concerned about receiving proper funding for Assembly Bill 19 signed into law last month.
“We’ve got the legislation but it’s not funded. So we’re hoping the legislator will fund this and we’ll receive funding,” Southwestern College Superintendent and President Kindred Murillo said.
Currently, 70 percent of the student population at Southwestern College already receive free tuition or financial aid through the California College Promise Grant, Murillo said.
But some students still need help paying for textbooks, food, housing and transportation. Murillo said a lack of funding for textbooks is actually a bigger problem for the college than tuition fees.
She appreciates that the law offers enough flexibility for school staff to address students' other needs besides tuition.
“Some of our students have food insecurity. So this could make a difference to some of our most impoverished students," Murillo said.
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As a result of the new law, Southwestern College officials expect an increase in students and more support for underserved groups. Murillo hopes this will help students become full-time, which would make them more likely to succeed academically.
San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) officials say they will try to provide two years of free community college to students.
“We’re looking at leveraging the San Diego promise to provide a second year of free college for students," Vice Chancellor of Student Services Lynn Ceresino Neault said. "We’re working out those details now."
Neault said the state chancellor's office has a high degree of confidence that the law will receive proper funding.
“For families that struggle making end meets, just on the border, the working families, now they will have the option for free college for their young students," Neault said.
In order to qualify for the free tuition, students must be first-time students enrolled in a full-time course load of at least 12 units. But college officials said this still leaves some questions unanswered about whether certain students qualify.
Neault was not sure to what extent students will need to prove their financial needs.
SDCCD officials said they expect the law to lead to an increase in their student population. They also hope the funding could get shifted from tuition to help students with other needs. Their biggest challenge will be implementing support staff for the expected influx of students.
Governor Jerry Brown's finance department publicly opposed the bill. Supporters hope that the governor's 2018-2019 budget will allocate funding to cover the cost.
