Governor Schwarzenegger Vetoes the California Dream Act (SB1)
About 45,000 undocumented California students are denied the opportunity of an affordable college education because they are ineligible for state and federal grants and loans, most private scholarships, and the ability to legally work to pay for college. This bill would have allowed for California high school graduates who are undocumented AB 540 students to apply for community college fee waivers and to become eligible to participate in the Cal Grant program. Under this year's bill, sponsor Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, eliminated participation in competitive grants to address concerns raised by the Governor's veto last year. Undocumented students would only be eligible for grants that are available to all students who qualify based on academic achievement and financial need. In weeks prior to the veto, The University of California Student Association, the California State Student Association and other groups rallied in Sacramento urging the Governor to sign the bill. Schwarzenegger, however, citing rising student fees as the main reason for the veto, stated "It would not be prudent to place additional strain on the General Fund to accord the new benefit of providing state subsidized financial aid to students without lawful immigration status."
Read Student Views

Meanwhile, California college students and supporters turned their attention to national legislation that would allow states to set their own in-state tuition policies for undocumented students. California is one of 10 states that already do. This bill also failed to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, would have provided a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 360,000 undocumented youth who are recent graduates of U.S. high schools - 12.5% of which live in California - by either enrolling in college or enlisting in the military.

$33.1 Million is Invested in Helping Students Succeed
Almost one-half of all California community-college first-time students leave within one year. Improving both course retention and semester-to-semester persistence rates, especially among low-income and students of color, is essential. The Governor signed Assembly Bill 194, the California Community Colleges Student Success Initiative. This funding will be allocated to colleges to support improvements in Basic Skills and English as a Second Language instruction as well as in related student services. Funds will be expended for activities such as: program development and, curriculum planning; student assessment, advisement and counseling services; supplemental instruction and tutoring; as well as articulation, instructional materials, and equipment.
Read the press release from California Community College Chancellor Diane Woodruff

Governor Vetoes Textbook Affordability Act (SB 832)
The skyrocketing cost of textbooks is putting a great financial strain on community college students. The average California community college student spends $775 on books each year, an amount nearly equaling the cost of tuition. The National Association of College Bookstores says wholesale prices of college textbooks have risen nearly 40 percent in the past five years. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would reduce the cost of textbooks to students and would have allowed faculty to make informed decisions about the books they assign to students by requiring publishers to disclose the price of a textbook upfront, the length of time the edition of a textbook will be on the market, and a thorough list of changes made between the old and new editions. The $3.4 billion-a-year higher-education publishing industry realizes significant profits from new editions, which result in 58% higher costs than older versions. A second piece of legislation, AB 1548, was signed into law but does not address the market forces driving-up textbook prices and increasing profits. It simply requires publishers to disclose textbook prices when asked. According to a CALPIRG report, Exposing the Textbooks Industry, 94% of surveyed faculty said they would take price into consideration when picking a textbook for a class, but only 38% of faculty said they always got an answer after enquiring about the price of a textbook. The bill also requires each campus bookstore at any public postsecondary educational institution to post in its store or on its Internet Web site a disclosure of its retail pricing policy on new and used textbooks.
Read more about textbook affordability

California Community College Financial Aid Bill (AB 668) is Signed into Law but Does Not Go Far Enough
California is not taking full advantage of student financial aid programs. According to The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, California community college students, compared with their peers across the county, are far less likely to apply for and receive federal grants and loans, although their total costs of attendance are comparable. More than 50% of full-time community college students have unmet financial need after their expected family contribution and total aid are taken into account. The California Community College Financial Aid Bill, introduced by Anthony Portantino, D-44th District, was intended to close the gap in financial aid participation. The bill as passed however, simply requires the California Community College Chancellor's Office to develop a statement that students will be asked to sign, which acknowledges that federal and state funds are available to assist with the costs of college and that information regarding these programs, and assistance in applying for those funds, can be obtained at the financial aid office. Earlier versions of the bill would have measured how the state supports financial aid capacity by requiring an annual analysis of the federal Pell Grant participation rate among all the campuses. Information would have been gathered to identify and solicit best practices from the colleges with the best participation rates. It also specified regional training and onsite reviews of some of the campuses with low rates and the provision of corrective assistance.

Sweeping Changes in Federal College Financial Aid Gives Students a Major Boost
College graduates are saddled with more debt than ever before. And many potential students are either holding off on going to college, or forgoing it all altogether because they don't believe they can afford it. One in seven California community college students borrows to finance their education. Among these borrowers, the average debt level is about $9,200. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act sponsored by Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass was signed into law in September, and makes significant changes to the federal government's college financial aid system. The bill establishes a tuition-assistance program for students who commit to teaching high-need subjects in low-income public schools and a loan-forgiveness program for other public-sector workers. It also expands funding for Pell Grants by $11.4 billion over the next five years- allowing the maximum Pell award to increase from $4,310 in 2007 to $5,400 by 2012.
Read the Summary of the College Cost and Reduction Act

Proposition 92 Now on the 2008 Ballot
The Community College Initiative (CCI) has qualified for the next statewide election on February 5, 2008. The level of per student community college funding in California is low relative to that of other states, ranking 45th out of 49 states. The ballot measure requires minimum state funding for community colleges providing a significant infusion of funding that has been sorely lacking. Currently, the state provides approximately $19,883 per pupil in support at UC, $10,623 at CSU, and $4,559 at the California Community Colleges. CCI also drops community college student fees to $15 per unit and limits increases to the cost of living.
Read more

New Data Reveal Unexpected Transfer Patterns Among California Community College Students

A new report issued by MPR Associates, Inc. shows that there are two different types of students who transfer from California Community Colleges (CCC) to a 4-year institution. The report examines outcomes of students six years after they enrolled in a CCC for the first time in 2000-2001. They compare articulated transfer students - those who meet the minimum requirements for transfer to UC or CSU and have completed coursework based on an articulation agreement - with all other transfer students, whom they call bridge transfers. The most surprising finding of the study is that most transfer students are not following a traditional path of taking lower-division courses at a community college and transferring to a 4-year institution as a junior, said Laura J. Horn, principal author and Program Director at MPR Associates. As of 2006 there were 87,701 transfers; 20,565 of these were articulated, while more than three times as many - 67,136 - were bridge transfers. Another significant finding is the sharp differences in bridge transfer patterns among racial and ethnic groups. For example, African American bridge students were most likely to either leave the state transferring to either a public or private out-of-state institution, or transfer to a CSU. Asian bridge students were less likely to leave the state and were most likely to transfer to UC schools. And finally, Latinos were most likely to transfer to CSU schools.

There are a number of important questions that emerge from this study and require further investigation: How can community colleges best identify bridge students? How are bridge students using community college as a stepping stone to a baccalaureate program? And what kind of support do they need to help ensure their success?
Read the full report

California Postsecondary Education Commission

• Accountability Framework Goal - Contributions to Economic, Civic, and Social Development. Measure: How is California Doing?, September 2007
• Accountability Framework Goal - Access and Affordability. Measure: Average Indebtedness of Graduates at Two- and Four-Year Colleges and Universities, September 2007
• Accountability Framework Goal - Access and Affordability. Measure: Percentage of Racial Representation in Systems of Higher Education Compared to Racial Representation in the State, September 2007

The Campaign for College Opportunity

• Closing the Health Workforce Gap in California: The Education Imperative, November 2007
• Practices with Promise: A Collection of Working Solutions for College Opportunity, October 2007

Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, California State University, Sacramento

• Beyond the Open Door: Increasing Student Success in the California Community Colleges, August 2007
• Invest in Success: How Finance Policy Can Increase Student Success at California's Community Colleges, October 2007

Policy Analysis for California Education, University of California, Berkeley