PIMENTEL: TUITION-FREE SMCCCD, INVEST IN RAPID RETRAINING

$43 MILLION BUDGET SURPLUS DURING COVID CRISIS IS OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN SAN MATEO COUNTY’S FUTURE
 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — On Thursday, District 5 Trustee candidate John Pimentel released a bold strategy to help working families and Latinx communities respond to the COVID crisis by waiving tuition for needy families, doubling Promise Scholars, and creating rapid-retraining programs for displaced workers.

Pimentel is urging the San Mateo County Community College Board to adopt his emergency budget-related resolution to: waive tuition for needy families, double the Promise Scholars program which provides additional financial assistance and other services, roll out rapid workforce retraining programs for displaced service and hospitality sector workers, and consider options to make these changes permanent.

"Our Latinx community is infected by COVID at twice the rate of other ethnic groups. Job losses from shutdowns of hospitality, retail, and other non-essential businesses are a double hit to this same community," said John Pimentel. "At the same time, tuition at SMCCCD is almost $1,500 per year for full time students, and over $15,000 per year when considering SMCCCD’s total costs including books, technology, food, transportation and rent.  High costs discourage potential students from accessing higher education and job retraining opportunities."

Pimentel is calling on the Board to take progressive action by rolling out rapid job retraining programs to quickly retrain displaced service and hospitality industry workers, expanding the budget allocation for Promise Scholars to accommodate 4,000 students, and waiving tuition for County residents in economic need.

"SMCCCD’s Proposed $207 million budget includes $10 million of resident student tuition and a $43 million surplus," Pimentel said. "I urge the Board to show compassion and long-term vision by doubling the Promise Scholars Program, waiving tuition, offering relevant workforce retraining programs and taking steps to make these changes permanent." 

Pimentel's letter to the SMCCCD Board of Trustees is accessible here.
Pimentel's proposed Emergency Resolution is accessible here. 
A budget fact sheet and response action plan produced by Pimentel is accessible here.

John Pimentel is a successful renewable energy leader, public servant, and community education advocate. He is a graduate of San Joaquin Delta Community College; University of California, Berkeley; and Harvard Business School. He previously served as the Governor’s Higher Education Advisor and was a Student Trustee on the San Joaquin Delta Community College Board of Trustees. He also serves as California’s Deputy Secretary for Transportation. Pimentel is the cofounder of several companies that in aggregate have built over $1 billion in renewable energy infrastructure which annually displaces the CO2 equivalent of removing 100,000 cars from the road.

To learn more about John Pimentel, please visit www.JohnPimentel.com

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