Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Subject: Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds - Supervisorial District Five
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing a one-time grant of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $50,000, to the San Mateo Community College Foundation which will provide financial, academic, and social support for student participants, and authorizing the County Manager, or his designee, to execute the grant agreement.
body
BACKGROUND:
Measure K is the half-cent general sales tax initially approved by San Mateo County voters in November 2012 and extended in November 2016 for a total of thirty years. The Board of Supervisors (“Board”) and County staff have conducted study sessions and community outreach efforts to inform priorities for Measure K spending for FY 2017-19.
On May 16, 2017, the Board approved the FY 2017-19 Measure K allocation plan in which the County anticipates Measure K receipts of approximately $81.6 million annually. The plan included $7 million in one-time loans or grants each year during FY 2017-19, divided equally among the five supervisorial districts, for district-specific needs and projects. District Five has submitted a request to use its district-discretionary Measure K funds as shown below and described in the Project Summary section of this memorandum:
|
District/Project |
Amount |
|
District Five (Supervisor David J. Canepa) - Skyline College Promise Scholars Program |
$50,000 |
This item is consistent with the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018, with the following exception: the proposed grant, if approved, would be the second grant of district-discretionary funding to the same organization within the current FY 2017-19 budget cycle. The Board may approve this exception to the criteria by adopting the resolution.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
This is a request to authorize a grant to Skyline College, and resulting grant agreement in an amount not to exceed $50,000 to support the Promise Scholars Program. The program provides financial, academic, and social support for student participants. The program is designed to alleviate barriers that often keep first-year students from the strong start associated with finishing college. The County Manager’s Office will administer and manage the proposed agreement.
District-discretionary Measure K funding for this organization’s Promise Scholars Program was previously granted in March of 2018 for $5,000.
Skyline College’s Promise Scholars Program addresses the financial barriers impeding the full-time pursuit of higher education, provides structured academic and non-academic support, and lays the foundation for the redesign of programs and curricula into guided pathways to increase student success and completion. The program provides financial support to participating students to cover or waive fees, and contribute to the cost of books, technology, and transportation. Participating students will also have access to a lending library, attend the program’s summer institute, and receive assistance with technology if needed. The funding provided to students by the Promise Scholars Program is used as a “last dollar” scholarship; the funds are used to fill in the gaps left by any financial aid the students receive. Promise Scholars are first-time, full-time students - students that have completed their high school degree, GED, or adult continuation program after October 1st, 2018, and are attending Skyline College full time (enrolled in at least 12 units).
The Promise Scholars Program has just over 500 students and Skyline plans to add several hundred more first-year students to the program in the fall of 2019, starting in August.
Program costs per student are approximately $2,800, which includes all tuition assistance, a book voucher, transportation support, intensive academic counseling, and peer mentoring.
The proposed Measure K grant would be used to pay fees for participating students, including the following fees:
• Enrollment: $46 per unit
• Health Services Fee: $17 Summer, $20 in Fall & Spring
• Student Representation Fee: $1
• Student Body Fee: $15 in Fall & Spring
• Student Union Fee: $1 per unit / $5 maximum per semester
Other financial support provided as part of the Promise Scholars Program includes a monthly transportation incentive and a textbook voucher to offset the costs of books and materials. The program also includes academic support such as priority registration, blocked courses, and the Summer Scholars Institute. The Student Services support embedded into the program includes a counselor to student ratio of 150 to 1, career and professional development support, peer mentoring, group counseling sessions and community building events.
Other organizations that have donated to the Promise Scholars Program include:
• Associated Students of Skyline College (student government)
• City Toyota
• Duggan’s Serra Mortuary
• Google/YouTube
• Kaiser Permanente
• PG&E
• Recology San Bruno
• Republic Services
• San Mateo Credit Union
• Summerhill Apartments
• Towne of Colma
• United Way of the Bay Area
The Promise Scholars Program is now a comprehensive student support model that includes dedicated and intensive counseling, academic support, professional development resources, and financial support detailed above. The program, starting with the fall 2018 cohort, is modeled after the evidence-based and highly successful City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) and aims to address barriers that students face in both accessing, and succeeding in, higher education. In addition to easing the financial burden of attending college through fee waivers, textbook credit, and monthly transportation incentives, the Promise Scholars Program recognizes and specifically addresses key institutional barriers that often prevent low-income and first-generation students from beginning and completing their educational goals.
The Promise Scholars Program at Skyline College has supported two pilot cohorts and has now launched a full replication of the ASAP model, expanding to serve just over 500 students, with the fall 2018 cohort. The fall 2019 cohort will expand to approximately 750 students.
The results from the pilot program are summarized below:
|
Program Duration |
% of Program Participants Still Enrolled at Skyline |
% of Non-Program Participants Still Enrolled at Skyline |
|
Fall 2016 to Spring 2017 |
96.4% |
85.4% |
|
Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 |
82% |
70.5% |
|
Fall 2016 to Spring 2018 |
80.0% |
62.6% |
|
Fall 2017 to Spring 2018 |
91.7% |
86.6% |
Total Measure K Request: Not to Exceed $50,000
The release of funds will be contingent on the execution of an agreement providing for the County’s confirmation of the expenditure of funds during FY 2018-9- 2020or the purposes stated herein. The County will disburse the funds to the following organization for the purposes described above:
Cherie Colin
Skyline College
3300 College Drive
San Bruno, Ca. 94066
colinc@smccd.edu <mailto:colinc@smccd.edu>
650-738-4346
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
Starting with the fall 2018 cohort, the performance benchmarks are related to college completion by associate degree or certificate as the full ASAP replication has been rolled out.
|
Description |
Target |
|
The percent of students in the program who complete college within 3 years. |
55% |
|
The percent of students in the program who complete college within 2 years. |
35% |
The current graduation rate for the entire college is 16%, up from 13% 3 years ago. The rate reflects the component of the student population that come to Skyline to take a class or two, but are not seeking a degree. In addition, if a student transfers from Skyline to another institution but does not apply to receive a degree or certificate from Skyline, they are not counted as a Skyline graduate.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the agreement and resolution as to form.
Funding for the Skyline College Promise Scholars Program contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of providing services to support a prosperous community. The Skyline College Promise Program helps County residents obtain an education as a means to achieve prosperity for themselves, their families, and their communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific FY 2018-2019 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget.