Westly: California Should Pay For Community College EducationTuesday, January 31, 2006 - 12:00 PM
Sacramento, CA -- State Controller Steve Westly says every Californian should get a free community college education, as long as they get a degree at the end.
Westly is also seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. At a meeting of community college leaders in Sacramento, he proposed a plan to pay tuition for students who successfully complete a community college degree. He says the plan would cost $100 to $200 million a year and the state could pay for it if higher education was fully funded in the state budget.
Westly says the cost of attending California's 109 community colleges has climbed 136 percent in the last three years, to around $800 for a full courseload.
The Legislative Analyst's Office says that as of 2003-04, 40 percent of full-time equivalent students were already attending community college for free because of subsidies.
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