Protect Free City College

Residents of the Sunset and Richmond districts depend on City College of San Francisco for its wide range of courses, programs and the free enrollment provided by the Free City College initiative. However, this vital resource is at risk due to proposed cuts by the City, which could disrupt the educational plans of many.

The Free City College program, a partnership between City College and the City and County of San Francisco, offers tuition assistance to residents who have lived in California for more than a year and established San Francisco residency. This program covers the $46 per unit enrollment fee. Even students who already receive other fee waivers benefit, getting an additional $46 per unit grant.

Local residents enroll in City College for various reasons – to learn a new skill, transfer to a four-year university, improve their English for better job opportunities or simply for lifelong learning.

Personally, I enrolled in City College as a teenager to gain extra academic credits, which helped me graduate from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree at just 19 years old. The opportunity not only saved me money but also accelerated my education. However, the transformative experiences that I and many others have enjoyed are now in jeopardy.

Despite its significant impact, the future of Free City College is uncertain. Proposed changes could limit free enrollment to a designated set of courses starting in the 2025-26 academic year, with only certain classes under specific educational plans remaining free. The City is set to propose the exact changes later this year. Additionally, proposed budget cuts could slash funding for the program from $18.9 million in 2023-24 to just $9.3 million in 2024-25 and $7.2 million by 2025-26. There are also plans to withdraw reserve funds that have previously been used for student debt relief.

These changes could greatly affect residents of the Sunset and Richmond districts attending City College as the City grapples with its broader financial challenges by taking money from Free City College. If San Francisco voters’ intent and past agreements are honored, these proposed modifications should be reconsidered.

In 2016, San Francisco voters passed Proposition W, which aimed to fund the Free City College program by increasing taxes on property transfers worth over $5 million. This measure generated between $30 to $38 million annually. Despite this, The City initially allocated only $5.3 million per year to City College, which was insufficient to cover all tuition and program expenses.

In 2019, thanks to negotiations between the Free City College Coalition, then-Sunset District Supervisor Gordon Mar and the Mayor’s Office, an agreement was made to fully fund Free City College for a decade. The agreement stipulated that starting in 2019-2020, the program was to be funded with $15 million, $15.7 million in 2020-21,$16.4 million in 2021-22, and then with annual adjustments for inflation until 2029.

The City’s current proposal would break this hard-won agreement, which was intended to ensure free enrollment at City College for the next 10 years.

This proposal and budget reduction would also destabilize City College itself at a critical time. The college has successfully balanced its budget, maintained a 5% rainy-day fund, and, for the first time since 1997, received no negative findings in financial audits of its unrestricted general fund, parcel tax and bond dollars. Moreover, enrollment this academic year increased by 10% adding more than 1,000 full time students.

However, progress on the budget and enrollment has been years in the making and fragile. Accreditors have warned that the college must plan for long-range fiscal challenges: The big elephant in the room is that beginning in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, City College will no longer receive cost-of-living adjustments until it significantly increases its enrollment under a newly enacted state funding formula.

Losing tuition-free classes would likely undermine the college’s progress in stabilizing its budget and enrollment. But ultimately, it is the students who would suffer the most. Working parents, those struggling with living expenses, and low-income students might lose their access to education.

San Francisco voters endorsed the nation’s first tuition-free community college and our City’s leaders signed a 10-year commitment to enhance educational access and enrollment at City College. Let’s protect Free City College for all residents of the Sunset and Richmond districts and uphold City College’s mission to provide accessible, quality education for everyone.

Alan Wong is the president of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Free City College Oversight Committee. He also serves on the board of the City College Foundation. As a City Hall education policy advisor in 2019, Wong worked on drafting and passing the legislation guaranteeing a decade of Free City College for all San Franciscans.