SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, Wednesday, April 28th, President Biden announced the American Families Plan. The Biden Administration’s Plan proposes to boldly invest in community colleges and students recognizing that it is our institutions of higher education which will propel the recovery of our economy forward. The plan proposes $109 billion to fund 2-years of tuition-free community college, which includes DREAMers, $80 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $1,400, and $62 billion for retention and completion programs at colleges serving low-income students – including $39 billion to subsidize tuition at historically black and other minority-serving colleges and universities.
"While these investments are historic and greatly appreciated, we encourage policymakers to go even further by doubling the maximum Pell Grant. This would allow low income students who have been most severely impacted by the pandemic to access an affordable, high-quality higher education without relying on overly burdensome student debt,” Vice President of Legislative Affairs Andrew Nickens.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges urges action on and support for the American Families Plan to ensure our nation’s community colleges continue to function as a ladder of social and economic mobility.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. The Student Senate for California Community College works to promote and safeguard access for current and future students to California public higher education in accordance with the Master Plan for Higher Education through system participatory governance, legislative and policy advocacy, and regional support and development and is the official voice of California community college students statewide.
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