California’s Plan for Affordable College

The state of California is creating a historic plan to create a more affordable public college system. Included in this plan are expanding Cal Grants and middle-class scholarships, lowering costs of books and affordable housing, and providing Native American students with free education.

This, indeed, is a great step in the right direction. However, these are simply band-aid solutions for a legacy of underfunding. Not only that, but the state’s history of underfunding does not stop at higher education. K-12 education has been significantly impacted by the corporate loophole in Prop. 13. If we do not address all of education, the achievement gap will only continue in basic education, before they can even reach college.

Mel Melcon for Los Angeles Times

You got into your dream school, but it’s pricey. Can California help pay for it?

Teresa Watanabe, LA Times | 4/29/2022