The District remains committed to advocating for systems and policies that ensure equitable access to community college education for all students.
San Mateo, CA – As anticipated, the White House released an Executive Order (Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities), which instructs the Secretary of Education to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and return authority to the states.
Returning authority to the states has the effect of dismantling a centralized education system which will likely allow states to create their own academic framework and funding priorities. Our present system of American higher education, built on academic rigor and institutional autonomy, will be reshaped by state-level policy and politics, potentially limiting research, faculty independence, and student opportunities, and weakening our nation’s global standing in education.
San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) remains committed to advocating for systems and policies that ensure equitable access to community college education for all students.
“While this Executive Order raises questions about the future of federal support for higher education, we must remain steadfast in advocating for all students,” says Melissa Moreno, Chancellor of SMCCCD. “As we understand it, properly dismantling the Department of Education, and its funding for student loans for example, would require a 60-vote majority in the U.S. Senate, and we are not there yet.”
It is worth noting that SMCCCD’s FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget anticipated receiving approximately $5.9 million (excluding direct student financial aid) from federal funds, which represents 8.25% of the revenue budget for the District’s Restricted General and Special Revenue Funds. While any potential funding loss could present some challenges, the reduction of federal funding would not hinder the District’s ability to operate and serve students, which is primarily supported by the District’s Unrestricted General Fund and is non-reliant on federal funds.
SMCCCD’s leadership will continue to work with our local elected officials, federal partners, and statewide alliances, including the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, to stay abreast of ongoing changes at the federal level. SMCCCD will regularly update the community as more information is made available.
Media Contact: David McLain, Community & Government Relations, SMCCCD, (650) 730-8049 or mclaind@smccd.edu.
About San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD): SMCCCD operates three colleges, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College, that provide community college educational services to the residents of San Mateo County. The District’s colleges serve over 30,000 students annually and offer the first two years of college-level instruction in various transfer and career-technical programs. The District is governed by a six-member Board of Trustees, with five voting members elected by voters from designated areas of the County and one nonvoting student member elected by students.