On Tuesday, July 16, the SF Board of Supervisors unanimously passed measures to withdraw the Free City charter amendment from this November’s ballot and direct the City to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding with the District that will more than double City funding for the Free City College program and extend the program for a decade.
AFT 2121 leaders and rank-and-file members worked towards this agreement with Supervisor Gordon Mar and Mayor London Breed, as well as many student, labor, and community allies from our Free City Coalition. AFT 2121 and the Free City Coalition will remain vigilant to ensure our Free City Program continues to be one where SF residents have universal access to CCSF and students receiving California Promise Grants receive additional support for educational expenses.
Building on our work with former Supervisor Jane Kim on a charter amendment that would have extended the program beginning in 2020, the Memorandum of Understanding will replace and expand the terms and funding of the proposed charter amendment. Now, increased funding will start a full year earlier, an added $8.6 million this year. Additionally, City College will be reimbursed for $5.4 million that the college spent due to under-funding during the program’s two-year pilot period. This means a total of $14 million in additional funding this year for our students using Free City!
The Free City program will receive: $15 million for FY2019-2020; $15.7 million for FY2020-2021; $16.4 million for FY2021-2022. For FYs 2022-2023 through 2028-29, the City can adjust funding to account for changes in the consumer price index using $16.4 million as a baseline.
Our victory was the culmination of many months of work by AFT 2121, Supervisors Kim and Mar, Mayor Breed, the San Francisco Labor Council, the City College Student Assembly, Jobs with Justice, Community Housing Partnership, and the San Francisco Rising Alliance along with the City College Board of Trustees and members of the administration.
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