Education is the great equalizer. However, this is only true when education is freely accessible. The Los Angeles College Promise (LACP) program waives tuition for the first two years of community college and provides priority enrollment -- and additional financial support for those students who qualify. LACP is a great start to providing free, high quality college options to students who need it the most- but it isn’t enough. As a founder of a non-profit that gets students "to and through" college, I understand that tuition is only a small part of the financial resources necessary to succeed in higher education. Students must take into account the costs of books, transportation, living expenses, food and child care. Even with LACP, many LACCD students undergo some level of financial debt to continue to go to school.
Pursuing an education is expensive and we cannot allow our next generation to be saddled with crippling student loan debt for the rest of their adult lives. As an LACCD trustee, I would push to allocate more funds to support low-income students with wrap-around resources as they pursue an education. Funding that would help with the costs of books, transportation, housing, food, and childcare.