SACRAMENTO - As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepares to deliver his State of the State address today, with major budget cuts looming, education advocates are urging lawmakers to pass a low-cost bill to ensure students understand early the path to college.
Only about 44 percent of high school graduates go straight to college in California, according to an analysis by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. That puts California 48th of 50 states in its college-going rate.
South Dakota and New York, meanwhile, have college-going rates of 68 percent.
The bill, SB 890, by state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, would create the so-called "Save Me a Spot in College Pledge," to be signed by students in grades six, seven, eight or nine and their parents or legal guardians.
Students would agree to:
- Meet all California high school graduate requirements
- Take courses to prepare, which may include A-G and career tech classes
- Seek to math, reading and writing in English proficiency
- Complete a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) and apply for financial aid by March 2 of their senior year
- Meet application and other requirements for university admission or enroll directly in community college soon after high school graduation.
In return, the state would provide a spot in a California Community College, the University of California or the California State University systems, provided the student meets the eligibility and admission requirements.
"For anyone who's been to college and knows how the system works, these sound like basic steps," said Abdi Soltani, CEO of the Campaign for College Opportunity, a grassroots group formed four years ago by business, labor and education leaders. "But for students in schools without a lot of counselors, it is significant."
The legislation's goal is to ensure that students and their families, beginning in middle school, understand what it takes to prepare for college, and the opportunities such as financial aid that California will provide them to obtain their degrees.
Supporters, including Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, who represents Vallejo, say the proposal is simple because it builds on existing programs, but also powerful because it packages these opportunities into one commitment made to students at an early age.
Soltani said the proposal is crafted toward helping young people in cities like Vallejo, where many students could be the first in their families to attend college, but don't realize the path toward those hopes.
With all eyes on Schwarzenegger today - and the state's $14 billion budget deficit threatening a number of pending bills - supporters tout the "Save Me a Spot in College Pledge" would only cost about $125,000 to implement, according to the California Department of Education's estimate.
"In a tough budget climate, this is something we expect to pass this year," Soltani said.
The bill was held up last August in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, after an analysis showed more cost pressures of up to $15 million. Those cost pressures include expanding K-12 programs for low-income students and providing community college fee waivers to qualified pupils who sign and meet the pledge requirements.
