The majority of young people in California aspire to go to college, yet they lack the knowledge of the specific steps to prepare and pay for it. The gap between aspirations and knowledge is often large and difficult to bridge. This is particularly true for foster youth, low-income youth, and youth who do not have family members or college counselors who can guide them through the process.
In 1960, facing a previous wave of population growth, economic change and international competition, California policymakers and educators had the foresight to adopt the Master Plan for Higher Education. This set of policies positioned California as the worldÕs leader in higher education, providing for broad, affordable access to higher education for all California residents, while also providing quality research to spur innovation in the economy.
One of the most important features of the master plan was the principle that any person who prepared and sought the opportunity could attend a community college or university in California. For many of us who have attended college in California and benefited from that opportunity, it was the foresight of policymakers and the investment of taxpayers that made it possible.
Do we have that same foresight today? Are we willing to make the same investment for the next generation of young Californians?
To take up that challenge, state Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) has introduced SB890, Early Commitment to College, as one important part of the solution. SB890 takes the promise of the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, and for the first time, makes it directly available to young people and their families.
It creates the "Save Me a Spot in College Pledge," a mutual commitment outlining the commitments of the student to prepare for college and the opportunities made available by the state. It helps every young person know that whether their interest is to pursue a career technical program such as auto tech or nursing in community college or to get a degree in engineering or literature in university, that the door to a college education is open to them.
SB890 also informs low-income students and foster youth of the range of financial aid programs available to help them afford a college education. Despite the frequent news stories about high student loans and rising tuition, this message doesn't get through: California provides the lowest community college fees, the best bargains in university fees, and some of the most generous financial aid programs of any state in the country.
SB 890 is now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, chaired by San Francisco's own Mark Leno who has indicated his support. If it succeeds in passing that hurdle, it will then go through the legislature to the governor's desk for his signature.
The promise of college access in the Master Plan for Higher Education was the right idea in 1960. It is an idea that has gotten even better with age.
Roberta Achtenberg co-founded the National Center for Lesbian Rights and is a former San Francisco supervisor and Housing and Urban Development assistant secretary. She serves as the chair of the California State University Board of Trustees and a member of the board of the Campaign for College Opportunity.