California Community Colleges

State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.

To qualify for financial aid, students must maintain a certain grade-point-average, but many don’t. A bill Gov. Newsom signed into law would make it easier for students to keep their aid and stay in college.

California is at the center of the political universe this week — at least in Republican circles.  Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, seven GOP presidential contenders showed up for the second televised primary debate. But one very large elephant wasn’t in the room — former President Donald Trump, who […]

After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.

The 2024 primary election is less than six months away, and, thanks to a series of measures over the last few years, the process will look a little different for voters.  For one, it’s the first presidential primary in which everyone can vote by mail. Because California’s top-two primary system — in which the two […]

In Wisconsin, two community colleges have gotten rid of traditional grades and lectures to offer self-paced education. As California tests its own version in the coming years, what can the state expect?

The bill, if approved, would begin at UCLA, with other campuses added later. But not everyone is on board with the latest plan.

The Legislature kicked off the final, frenzied week of session on Monday with a couple of big questions:  Would there be a grand bargain between labor and the fast food industry? Yes.  As CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and Alexei Koseff explain, a last-minute deal in the form of Assembly Bill 1228 includes goodies for both sides: […]

A June budget deal required community colleges to raise their own money to build affordable student housing. Some campuses said that plan prevented them from building the dorms, even with help from the state to pay the debt.

From CalMatters state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal: After many twists and turns  — intra-party drama, xenophobic comments against its author and division among some South Asian communities — the first-in-the-nation bill to ban caste discrimination in California’s housing and employment laws completed its journey through the Legislature Tuesday with a 31-5 vote in the Senate.  […]