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- State law requires community colleges charge $46 per unit, or almost $1,500 per year
for a full-time student.
- California Education code 76300 requires each Community College District to collect
tuition and enrollment fees for students enrolled in courses.
- Recently, the San Mateo Community College District worked with their legislative partners
to enact SB893 which amends the education code to waive tuition and enrollment fees
for students residing in the district.
- The District endeavors to enact legislation what would permit the same.
- Upon the change in law, the district would be permitted to waive (or charge reduced)
tuition and enrollment fees and use its local funds to provide students with free
community college courses on each of our two campuses.
- The West Valley-Mission Community College Board of Trustees is required to adopt appropriate
and necessary resolutions relating to qualifications for students who would be eligible
for reduced fees.
- This change to the California Education code would also reconcile any concerns relating
to potential gifts of public funds.
- This program would not increase state funding for the District or commit the State
to allocate any additional resources.
- The resolution grants the District flexibility to determine all eligibility requirements.
- The resolution authorizes the Chancellor to work closely with state legislators on
authoring, introducing and championing legislation that uses District unrestricted
general funds to provide fee waivers to residents of the District.
- The WVM Board of Trustees must establish a framework and adopt policies to determine
eligibility and students must demonstrate financial need (as determined by the District).
- Students must reside in the WVMCCD boundary, thus preventing any real or perceived
competition with neighboring community college districts.
- WVMCCD must publicly provide financial impact information to a public Board meeting
showing that the District has the funds to reduce fees for students and the District
is prohibited from receiving reimbursement from the State.
- We will incorporate the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of a student’s Total
Cost of Attendance (COA) which includes:
- COA is the estimate of tuition and fees, cost of room and board (or living expenses),
cost of books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and miscellaneous expenses (including
a reasonable amount for the documented cost of a personal computer), allowance for
childcare or other dependent care, costs related to a disability, and reasonable costs
for eligible study abroad programs.
- This resolution would authorize the District to use local unrestricted general funds,
in addition to funding received under the California College Promise, to help students
with total cost of attendance. The bill would define total cost of attendance for
a student attending WVMCC as including the student’s tuition and fees, books, and
supplies, living expenses, transportation expenses, and any other student expenses,
and any other student expenses use to calculate a student’s financial need for purposes
of federal Title IV student aid programs.
