Source: Mercury News
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced the city’s new scholarship program offering low-income students free tuition at three community colleges, including San Jose City College, Evergreen Valley College and West Valley College.
The San Jose Promise Program will cover up to two years of tuition costs for 800 students from San Jose high schools.
The three campuses were awarded $750,000 grants from the California College Promise Innovation Grant to cover most of the scholarship costs, but the colleges will still need to contribute an unknown amount toward the program.
Liccardo said it is the city’s responsibility to help its students succeed in order to ultimately help the city in all other areas, including public safety and economic development.
Critics of the program say city officials should be focusing on fighting crime and say that “education isn’t the city’s responsibility.”
Data shows that only about one-third of every hundred graduated high school students in San Jose attain a college degree. Education experts say the investment in necessary to ensure the success of San Jose residents and they plan to expand the program to all San Jose high school students.
Read full story at: Mercury Mews