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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Making free college a permanent program in the San Mateo County Community College District took another big step in the current legislative cycle through Senate Bill 968 that seeks to break cost barriers to education for county residents.

The bill submitted to the state legislature Wednesday is authored by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, in partnership with assemblymembers Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, and Diane Papan, D-San Mateo. It’s the first official step in getting the state’s approval to make permanent the successful pilot program that has increased enrollment and opportunity for students. 

“Community college changes lives, and costs should never be a reason that somebody is locked out of opportunity,” Becker said in a press conference held at College of San Mateo Friday. 

Alongside Becker and Papan at the community college campus were district leaders and students who have directly benefited from Free College, a program that waives the state’s mandatory $46 per unit enrollment fee for tuition. 

Board Trustee John Pimentel, an early and major proponent of Free College, said waiving costs for community college tuition is the “most effective and efficient investment that government can make in social equity.” 

“The faculty [in this district] feels great pride in our ability to offer Free College for every San Mateo County resident, including undocumented residents, so they all can enjoy that first rung on the ladder of upward economic mobility,” Pimentel said. 

More than 33,500 students have received support through Free College, and enrollment of local students has increased by 24% since the program was implemented. Over half of the students benefiting are first-generation. 

For Foreign Makahili, a student at Skyline College studying sociology and psychology, “being able to attend college without worrying about tuition changed everything.” 

Makahili went through the foster system and the justice system, and wasn’t sure higher education would be a possibility, let alone an affordable one. That changed when Makahili learned about the district’s program.

“Free College gave me the opportunity to focus on learning, instead of just surviving,” Makahili said. 

Enrolling in college equipped Makahili to find a job, but the impact extends far beyond obtaining a degree and building an income.

“Studying psychology and sociology isn’t just about a career for me, it’s about understanding myself, understanding others and learning how to make better choices,” Makahili said. “I believe when you know better you do better. Free College didn’t just help me enroll in school, it helped me build a new identity.” 

Since fall 2022, the district has piloted a program to gauge the feasibility and success of waiving tuition costs for San Mateo County residents interested in pursuing higher education and obtaining a degree. The pilot was made possible by the authorization of a previous bill, also authored by Becker. 

“This builds on a successful pilot, because that’s what we do here in Silicon Valley,” Becker said. “We try new ideas, we innovate, we pilot them and if it works, we scale it.” 

Making Free College permanent will provide a “stable, predictable pathway” for San Mateo County students and families, Chancellor Melissa Moreno said.

“This moment is not just about legislation, it’s about our students, it’s about opportunity,” Moreno said. “This is a generational impact.” 

Papan said she’s proud to co-author the bill and shepherd it through the legislative process. 

“We are on our way to a tremendously successful permanent program for the prosperity of students in our community,” Papan said. “This represents a permanent promise for not only our students but our community.”

Ballot measure, if approved, will be placed for voter consideration in November

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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The San Mateo County Community College District may ask for voter support in November to extend the district’s bond tax rates, which could generate $848 million in total for the district’s facilities needs. 

Though the district’s Board of Trustees have not officially affirmed whether it is moving forward with placing a measure on the ballot, trustees agreed at the recent board meeting Jan. 28, that if so, they’d aim for the November election. 

Like many school districts in San Mateo County, the community college district is weighing its need for adequate revenue to support facility needs against adding another measure to what appears to be becoming a lengthy ballot. However, consultant Dr. Timothy McLarney said a lengthy ballot doesn’t tend to particularly sway voters to pick and choose which tax measures to support.

A polled group of 881 individuals showed significant favorability for a bond measure passing in either June or November. Even after hearing opposing arguments, approximately 64% of polled voters would probably or definitely vote in support of the measure. Bond measures need at least 55% approval to pass. 

Pursuing a November election would simply allow the district more time to communicate with its voters about the reality of the bond extension, McLarney said. 

“I like the idea we’ll have more time to get all our ducks in a row and get our message out,” board President Wayne Lee said. 

The measure is proposed as a bond extension, which would maintain the current rate structure property owners are already paying, rather than asking for an additional tax to consider. This discrepancy will likely improve the chances of the bond measure passing, McLarney said. 

Generating approximately $73 annually, the district would continue levying $18 per $100,000 of assessed property value, if the measure passes.  

The district has, as of late, made decisions regarding the short-, mid- and long-term strategies for financing the next generation of capital improvements. This included a $55 million bridge fund to pay urgent items and a long-term Capital improvement Project savings strategy. To finance capital improvement over the next 10 years, a bond measure will likely be the means. 

An amended facilities master plan identifies $850 million in capital improvement needs. 

To qualify for the November ballots, the Board of Trustees must make a final decision to move forward with a measure likely in July. 

Community college district awards contract to break ground on districtwide student housing in spring

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Districtwide student housing at College of San Mateo is inching closer to becoming a reality after the community college district’s Board of Trustees approved a $61.85 million contract with developers who intend to break ground in the spring. 

The proposed housing facility will provide 316 beds to first-generation, low-income and housing-insecure students attending any of the three colleges within the San Mateo County Community College District. 

Providing housing is just one of the many wraparound services the district looks to provide its students, board President Wayne Lee said. 

“Our mission is student first,” Lee said. “We find that providing wraparound services helps students graduate, and housing is just one component, a very important one,” Lee said. 

The contract was awarded to BHM Construction LLC, which has experience building university campus housing and proposed a contract for $6.3 million less than the construction cost estimate of $68 million, according to a staff report. 

The district initially requested for state funding in 2023, and earlier this year was awarded just under $56 million to support the design and construction of student housing. The initial proposal proposed 310 beds but was able to increase slightly during the design period, according to a staff report. 

In addition to the state’s funding, sourced by the Statewide Affordable Student Housing Program launched by the state’s community college office in 2022, the district will invest approximately $10 million into the project, according to a staff report. 

At a town hall hosted by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, on Dec. 9, Chancellor Melissa Moreno said the student housing will provide another level of support that builds on that same mission of the district’s offering of Free College, and making higher education accessible to all. 

“It’s going to allow for many of our students to be able to have a place to live,” Moreno said. “About 70% of students statewide are housing insecure, so this is a real problem, and we’re happy to build housing on our land at CSM to help our districtwide students.” 

Of the 116 community colleges in California, only 16 currently offer on campus student housing. 

The housing units will vary, ranging from semi-suite shared bedrooms to studio and four-bedroom apartments, according to the district. Rents will be affordable, Moreno said, and since the district owns the land it will be built on, the facility will be a “self-supporting program.” 

“The students will benefit from very low rents and we will benefit from having the funding to bring in the supports, and support students in everything they need for their housing experience,” Moreno said. 

Amenities for students are still being finalized, but Moreno said it may include a shuttle service to help students access their campuses if they’re attending Cañada College in Redwood City or Skyline College in San Bruno.

Josh Becker to introduce bill in new year to make community college free to county residents

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Following the success of the San Mateo County Community College District’s Free College pilot, a bill making the initiative a permanent program will be introduced to the California Legislature in the new year. 

Described by Chancellor Melissa Moreno as the single most effective equity initiative the district has and can implement, Free College ensures that county residents have access to higher education by waiving the enrollment fees, and in some cases costs of textbooks, transportation and technology.

Students enrolled in the district’s Free College are three times more likely to complete their educational goals and graduate than their comparable peers, Aaron McVean, vice chancellor of Educational Services and Planning. 

“The impact has been tremendous across all the communities that we serve in this district,” McVean said. 

District Trustee John Pimentel, a key proponent for free community college, said the program was made possible because the community throughout the county came together. 

The district covers the costs that are waived for qualified students, which Moreno described as a necessary investment. For the 2025-26 school year, the Board of Trustees approved allocating $12.5 million for the Free College expenses. 

“It’s a mission-driven budget line item,” Moreno said. “It’s a decision the Board of Trustees made to align the budget with the mission.” 

The ability for the district to cover the costs of the program is a critical aspect of the potential authorization of Becker’s bill to make it permanent, the state senator said. 

Free College has resulted in a 24% increase in enrollment in the two years it’s been implemented. About 70% of students are supported by Free College, and more than half of those students are first generation students, Moreno said. 

“That modest $46 a unit is actually very much a barrier for our students,” Moreno said. “This has moved the needle more than any other equity initiative that we have tried to get our first generation students coming into the college system in our impacted surrounding communities.” 

The return on investment for students is abundant as well, Skyline President Nate Carter said. 

“It’s one of the single most powerful, effective tools for economic mobility in our region, that’s unquestionable,” Carter said. “It allows families and all walks of life to access higher education in a life transforming way.” 

CSM President Manuel Alejandro Perez described Free College as a “social justice resource.” 

During the town hall, Moreno also announced the district has officially secured $56 million in state funding to develop districtwide student housing on the College of San Mateo campus. At the district’s Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, trustees are slated to approve a contract to break ground on 314 beds in the spring, Moreno said. 

Reflecting on his time as a trustee on the board, Pimentel said working on the Free College initiative makes him the most proud. He hopes the state will yet again authorize Becker’s bill in the new year, and eventually expand the program beyond San Mateo County. 

“At the end of the day, free community college, I believe, is the most effective, efficient investment that government can make in achieving social equity,” Pimentel said.

College of San Mateo educational facility in Half Moon Bay sees more than 200 students enroll, offering 9 courses in new year

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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For over a year, the College of San Mateo’s coastside campus has increased access to higher education by bringing the county’s community college district courses to a previously underserved farmworking community burdened by geography. 

The coastside campus opened its doors at 650 Mill St. in October 2024 to bring the lessons from the College of San Mateo to Half Moon Bay and connect its opportunities to families over the hill. 

At a San Mateo County Community College District trustee meeting Nov. 19 held at the Ted Adcock Community Center, Half Moon Bay was on display and celebrated by a slate of speakers reflecting on the past year of growth. 

“When you work on something for several years and you finally see it come to fruition … it makes what we do so worthwhile,” Trustee Lisa Petrides said. 

Without the new campus facility, accessing classes and higher education would be much more difficult for residents living on the coastside without consistent transportation or technology access, Half Moon Bay City Manager Matthew Chidester said. 

“The district doubled down in our community to ensure everyone, including our most vulnerable residents, would have convenient and culturally appropriate support to access education and career development opportunities,” Chidester said. 

In 2025, the coastside campus has already seen a jump in enrollments for courses — 45 new students registered for the spring term and 129 for the fall term. The educational facility is also seeing more than 70% of new students persist and enroll again, Danni Redding Lapuz, CSM acting president of instruction, said. 

“That’s what we’re looking for, that’s how the journey starts,” Lapuz said. 

The campus began offering four courses in spring 2025, and a year later for spring 2026 that will increase to nine. Subjects include art, creative writing, English for multilingual learners, fitness, film, fire technology, management, oceanography and statistics. 

Staff has also hosted 26 registration and financial aid workshops, bilingual services and more than 20 community events to grow the college’s partnership with the numerous organizations working to help residents on the coastside, Alex Guiriba, CSM vice president of Student Services, said. 

“Each event, each partnership and each conversation brings us closer to our goal, to making sure that coastside residents who dream of going to college know that CSM is here for them in their language, in their neighborhood and with the support that they deserve,” Guiriba said. 

One student enrolled in the English course is Patricia Ramirez, a native Spanish speaker looking to enhance her professional vocabulary and communication skills. 

Ramirez is a founding board member of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a nonprofit supporting Latino farmworkers and their families. Her enrollment is reflective of the coastside campus’ connection and impact on the community, Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder of ALAS, said. 

“I’m seeing educational dreams come true, and you’re making it happen,” Hernandez-Arriaga said to the Board of Trustees. 

Looking ahead, the new campus will not only commit itself to Half Moon Bay, but expand connections up and down the coast, with the Cabrillo Unified School District and the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander farmworker community, CSM President Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez said. 

The College of San Mateo’s Undocumented Community Center is also looking to expand its services to the coast. In the spring, the center will offer workshops to Half Moon Bay High School seniors that will help students complete applications to the CSM, residency forms and providing family info sessions, Program Services Coordinator Martin Marquez said. 

The center will also introduce the Unlocking Futures Fellowship Program to the coast, with the first student fellow by fall 2026. The program provides undocumented student opportunities to receive financial incentives, mentorship and career development opportunities, and is offered to a cohort of 19 students across the community college district — up from 13 the year before. 

San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose district represents the coastside, thanked the community college district’s staff for investing in the community. 

“Not every college institution would have done it,” Mueller said. “It is transformative for this coast, it’s transformative for the kids on this coast to know that no matter what, education is within reach.”