Advocacy for City College
As a City Hall education policy advisor, Alan has been an advocate for significant City College policies and programs.
Free City College: Alan worked in collaboration with City College Trustees, faculty, administration, and City Departments to help draft and advance the legislation to secure Free City College for the next decade. The passage of the legislation resulted in at least $15 million in funding for Free City College each year for the next ten years and an improved program design that provides increased financial benefits for low-income and equity students.
City College Sunset: Alan worked with local nonprofits, City College, and SFUSD to expand City College into the Sunset. Alan conducted a needs assessment and organized a town hall that resulted in hundreds of surveys from students, seniors, workers, and community members providing feedback on Sunset community needs. Based on the feedback, Alan worked with City College, local schools, and nonprofits to finalize classes, find facilities, and locate City College classes into the Sunset rent-free.
City College Workforce Education and Recovery Fund: In partnership with City College stakeholders, Alan wrote the Workforce Education and Recovery Fund (WERF) legislation in order to provide job training for workers, promote economic recovery, bolster student wraparound services, and restore City College programs that have been impacted by declining state funding.
Job Training and Workforce Development
The impact of COVID-19 has caused massive unemployment and layoffs for thousands of San Franciscans. City College will be a critical educational institution in supporting the economic recovery of the City through its vocational and job training programs.
Alan will ensure that the college provides a robust array of programs for working and immigrant families impacted by COVID-19. He will partner with employers, labor unions, and workforce nonprofits to improve student employment outcomes and increase transitions into good-paying jobs.
Fiscal Oversight and Transparency
For too long, City College has faced structural issues that have impaired its long-term success. We must focus on securing the college's fiscal health and regaining the trust and confidence of the public.
As Trustee, Alan will advocate to put an end to deficit spending, grow the college's financial reserves, bring transparency to the college, and increase enrollment and state funding by developing coursework that better enables students to compete in the 21st century workplace.
Improving Equity and Student Success
City College of San Francisco has long been a popular option among students for the high quality education delivered at no to low cost. City College offers students a way to improve their life and provides many with a second chance. Specifically, open enrollment policies allow students to re-enter regardless of their high school performance or graduation status.
City College must do a better job to close the achievement gap for Black and Hispanic students to support every student's educational success. Alan believes that this requires an investment in wraparound services supporting student retention and basic student needs, a diverse workforce reflecting the student population, and vocational and career track programs to help underserved communities gain access to stable and long-term jobs.
Protecting Free City College
Because he and his family have succeeded with the help of City College, Alan understands how important the Free City College program is. Free City College, a program that offers free tuition to SF residents, has unlocked educational opportunities for thousands of residents, and has enabled students to afford school to earn a degree, embark on a new career, learn a new vocation, or even speak another language.
As the first and most inclusive free college program in the country, Alan will fight to preserve Free City College so that generations of San Franciscans can continue their educational journeys without the impediment of high tuition costs.
Education for the 21st Century
There has long been a tug-of-war at City College between stakeholders that seek to focus more on college preparatory coursework versus those who advocate for a more community-focused approach that emphasizes continuing learning and personal growth. Alan believes that both are critical for the success and longevity of City College.
Since 2018, all California community colleges are funded through the Student Centered Funding Formula that allocates discretionary funding to college districts based on three calculations: 1) enrollment; 2) number of students receiving College Promise Grants and Pell Grants, and 3) number of students finishing associate degrees and credit certificates.
While laudable in its goal, this funding mechanism ignores the reasons why tens of thousands of students access City College. We need a college that is fully responsive to the needs of all San Franciscans. This includes the immigrant single mother who wants to learn English to get a better job and the budding entrepreneur who wants to take business classes.
Alan will advocate for course curricula to reflect student needs in underfunded subject areas such as English as a Second Language, information and communication technologies, arts, music, hospitality and tourism, construction, adult education, and healthcare.