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Education
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Applications are down significantly compared to last year, and with the effects of COVID-19 impacting students’ income, more students are facing financial barriers that could prohibit them from going to college.
Data from the California Student Aid Commission, who administers the Cal Grant and California Dream Act programs, reported that Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, completions among graduating high school students are down by 11 percent (19,330) compared to this same time last year.
California Dream Act Applications, which allow eligible undocumented students to apply for the same state-based financial aid opportunities available to others, are also down by 15 percent (2,712) year over year.
“For too many students, finances are the main barrier to achieving their college goals,” Oakley said. “While there are many types of financial aid available for California community college students, most financial aid is contingent on filing a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. However, every year there is money left on the table because students simply don’t apply. That’s why it is important for every graduating senior to submit a financial aid application – even if they don’t think they will qualify or if they have not yet decided on their plans after high school.”
Each year there is $6 billion dollars in financial aid available to California college students. Yet all too often current and prospective students are not aware of financial aid opportunities and they do not apply for aid, missing their chance to benefit. If these dollars earmarked for financial aid are not awarded they go unspent, meaning potentially millions of dollars are left unclaimed every year.
“Students must complete their FAFSA by the March 2 Cal Grant deadline to be eligible for state and federal aid, which maximizes the amount of money they can qualify to receive,” said California Student Aid Commission Executive Director Marlene Garcia, “The Cal Grant deadline is especially important for undocumented students who must complete the California Dream Act Application by March 2 in order to be eligible for state-based aid, which is critical because they are not eligible for federal aid.”
The Cal Grant offers free money for California students attending a community college, UC, CSU or a fully online or independent, non-profit university, and can help students pay for college costs such as books, supplies, transportation and rent.
“Financial aid is the sole reason I am able to afford college,” said Cosumnes River College student, Ky Mazyck-Holmes. “I use it to maintain my living arrangement, buy books and ultimately change my life for the better through education.”
The California Community Colleges encourage students and parents to attend one of the upcoming virtual Cash for College workshops led by financial aid professionals who provide resources and individualized support for filling out financial aid forms. For more information about the financial aid applications visit I Can Afford College or register for a free, virtual Cash for College workshop.
“We understand that during COVID, graduating seniors and their families are facing many tough decisions,” Oakley said, “We hope that going to college isn’t one of them. Finances should never get in the way of someone pursuing their higher education. If we don’t get more students to complete the FAFSA, we could see a lost generation of tens of thousands of Californians who are left behind and cannot pursue their college education because of the lack of financial support.”
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.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Peace & Plenty Farm Stand at 4550 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville will host a spring plant sale to raise funds for starting up Shade Canyon, a tuition-free, Waldorf-inspired public charter school.
The sale will boast hundreds of bulbs, rhizomes and plants, all sold in biodegradable pots or burlap bags.
Both walk-up browsing and drive-by pickup are available. Call Monica at 707-236-2829 for more information.
Local nonprofit Shade Canyon will submit a petition this spring to the Kelseyville Unified School District Board to be authorized as a charter school in the district.
If authorized, the school would open in fall of 2022 with grades transitional kindergarten through third grade, then expand by one grade each year until it offers a full TK/K-8 program.
All Lake County students would be eligible to attend.
A time-tested model, Waldorf education brings forth a sense of wonder, cognitive strength, self-awareness and social fluency, as well as respect for self, others and the environment – all while building a strong academic foundation.
Shade Canyon’s planned curriculum weaves together hands-on learning, integrated subjects, outdoor exploration, and a deep awareness of child development. Waldorf students become critical thinkers who are curious about the world, connected to their communities and confident in shaping them.
Those who would like to help Shade Canyon School grow strong roots but are unable to attend the plant sale can learn more at https://www.shadecanyon.org/founding-a-school .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
This legislation will provide parity with California’s other state agencies and over 210,000 state employees.
Also known as the Steps to Economic Parity in Salaries, or S.T.E.P.S., Act, SB 566 will help fix the CSU’s broken salary structure for CSU support staff that allows newly-hired employees to earn more than equivalent long-term employees, even while working side-by-side doing the same job at the same campus.
This important measure will address these inequities by providing CSU support staff an annual 5 percent salary step contingent on their job performance – an opportunity already afforded to all other California state employees.
“It is long overdue that we fix this unfair salary structure that unjustly penalizes long-standing CSU employees and minimizes their important contributions to the university system and its students,” Sen. Leyva said. “SB 566 restores dignity to these employees – and their families – by ensuring that they earn the wages that they rightfully deserve.”
In 1996 – following an impasse in contract negotiations – the CSU Board of Trustees took an unprecedented action by unilaterally abolishing employee salary steps that were in place for 50 years.
For over two decades, the CSU has remained unwilling to reinstate salary steps and is now the only state agency that does not provide salary steps for its support staff.
The inability of support staff to move through salary ranges has resulted in new hires earning higher salaries than existing employees.
On average, new hires earn $780 per month more than existing employees who work in the same classification.
The S.T.E.P.S. Act is jointly co-sponsored by the CSU Employees Union, California Teamsters / AFL-CIO and SEIU California State Council.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Positive budget projections and responses to Shade Canyon’s online community interest survey have convinced the school initiative’s board that it is feasible to offer more grades from the beginning than originally planned. In keeping with the school’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, the grades offered would depend upon adequate enrollment.
After its first year, Shade Canyon plans to add one grade each subsequent year until the school reaches a full TK-8 program.
Having a Waldorf-style option for second and third graders in 2022 could be especially timely for families whose students have experienced loss of learning during the pandemic.
“Waldorf teachers are trained to ‘teach the student rather than the subject,’ using methods that meet multiple intelligences,” said Shade Canyon’s Founding Educational Director Savannah Mitchell. “For example, elements of math are taught through cooking, music and storytelling.”
Collaboration and learning among a broader span of grades would offer a fuller experience for students, as well as give more families the chance to send all their children to the same school.
If Shade Canyon had a total enrollment of 80 students in the first year, it would also be eligible to apply for up to $600,000 through the California Department of Education’s Public Charter School Grant Program, which awards grants for the planning and implementation of new public charter schools.
Shade Canyon will submit a petition this spring to the Kelseyville Unified School District Board to be authorized as a charter school in the district. If authorized, the school would offer a tuition-free, public Waldorf-style education option to all Lake County families.
A time-tested model, Waldorf education brings forth a sense of wonder, cognitive strength, self-awareness, and social fluency, as well as respect for self, others, and the environment--all while building a strong academic foundation.
Shade Canyon’s planned curriculum weaves together experiential learning, integrated subjects, outdoor exploration, and a deep awareness of child development.
Waldorf students become critical thinkers who are curious about the world, connected to their communities, and confident shaping them as they go on to high school, post-secondary education and meaningful careers.
Shade Canyon invites Lake County families and community members to fill out the community interest survey, which school founders will use to estimate enrollment and demonstrate community interest to the Kelseyville Unified School Board.
The link to the survey may be found at https://www.shadecanyon.org/.
Shade Canyon School is a tuition-free, Waldorf-inspired public charter school initiative. The school’s name comes from the saddle canyon on Mount Konocti that, long ago, shaded canyon oak seedlings so they could grow into a lush, towering forest.
The school initiative is guided by this vision: “by honoring simplicity, we nurture the spark of the individual and nourish a thriving community.” Their mission is to cultivate inspired learners.