Adam Echelman

Following CalMatters reporting, California’s Republican representatives are calling for the U.S. Department of Education and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate how California’s community colleges are handling financial aid fraud.

Federal programs offer financial aid and counseling to low-income and first-generation college students. California was allowed to include students without legal status, which the Trump administration is now ending.

In 2019, his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the Cradle-to-Career Data System, a new state entity that aims to track students’ progress from preschool through employment. The data system was supposed to release its first public dashboard last spring.

California’s community colleges are experimenting with a new model, known as competency-based education, but at one school, it’s created a divide between faculty and college administrators.

In numerous lawsuits, conservative professors and students allege that California’s community colleges are hindering their right to free speech under the First Amendment.

California voters passed Proposition 3, which enshrines the right to marry into the state’s constitution. While same-sex marriage is already legal, Prop. 3 ensures that LGBTQ+ couples can continue to marry even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns landmark cases.

This November, California voters will decide on Proposition 2, a $10 billion education bond. Some community colleges are counting on the money to fix critical buildings and protect the safety of students.

Adults without high school diplomas can attend community college, but few of them receive financial aid, even when they’re eligible. A new proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian aims to fix that. But it may be too late.

In Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget, he proposed significant cuts to the Middle Class Scholarship, which provides financial aid to more than 300,000 students. He also signaled that he won’t expand the Cal Grant program, a plan that was based on adequate funding in the state budget.

California’s community colleges are reporting a rise in financial aid fraud. In January, suspected bots represented 1 in 4 college applicants. Schools have given away millions to these scams, and college officials say fraudsters are getting smarter with the help of AI.

California is removing degree requirements from jobs, but state leaders differ about the right approach.

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.