Keep City College tuition-free
Here’s a glittering promise that San Francisco shouldn’t let get away. The city should commit to a tuition-free City College that offers a swath of employment-ready courses but find a commonsense way to pay for the concept.
The notion of no-fee education isn’t a luxury. It makes sense in a city where jobs may be plentiful but require skills and training. City College offers a discount way to enter the hiring market, and free classes make it possible for those struggling with the city’s formidable housing costs.
There’s also the option of continuing on to a four-year institution to earn a full undergraduate degree.
The Free City program comes with an added plus. The institution is still emerging from a near-death accreditation challenge, which lasted five years, over the college’s financial and managerial failings. That turmoil dropped enrollment from 83,400 in 2012 to 63,000 this fall. The Free City program could build this low number back up.
But the two-year Free City funding is due to run out in June, and the mayor and city supervisors are dickering over coming up with the money. Mayor London Breed wants to negotiate an agreement that would cover the $5 million in expected expenses.
The supervisors, backed by a teachers labor union, want much more: $15 million per year for starters, possibly running for 20 years as a permanent spending item.
There’s no doubting the appeal of assured money for a valuable program — especially in the wake of a $415 million windfall announced last week — but a budget set-aside is the wrong way to go.
The approach, embodied in a possible charter amendment for voter approval, is being used as a powerful pressure tactic as talks continue. But putting a permanent expense item into the city charter would hamper the flexibility that city lawmakers need in crafting a budget. San Francisco’s soaring economy is not going to last forever.
Free City could use other changes along with sensible financing. Applicants should be obliged to seek state and federal grants before lining up for city stipends. Also, the program should be reserved for city residents, who pay for City College via taxes, with valid credentials checked carefully.
If the financial drawbacks can be settled, the free tuition for needy students should be a priority. City College remains one of the largest in the state and nation, a powerful source of knowledge, training and inspiration. San Francisco should find a way to make sure Free City survives in this era of budget surpluses.