Not good news for California applicants

This isn't pretty.

San Francisco Chronicle 5/30/08

Valued Cal Grants could fall to budget ax

Carrie Sturrock, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sikia Blue had a child right after high school, was periodically homeless and worked dead-end jobs in retail and fast food. She wanted a better life, something more stable, so she enrolled at Contra Costa College to become a social worker. She excelled.

Now the single mother of three plans to transfer to Cal State East Bay in 2009 and eventually earn a master's degree.

"I want to be a probation officer or a juvenile social worker where I'm giving back to the youth in my community," said Blue, 28. "I felt like I wasn't going to get anywhere with just my high school education. The jobs I was getting weren't paying enough for me to establish myself in this society."

California's Cal Grants have given Blue crucial assistance.

"It helped me to go on and live day to day," she said. "I use it to pay child care, transportation and the supplies I need for class."

But now, the governor has proposed eliminating that portion of the Cal Grant program intended to assist older, nontraditional students who rely on community colleges to improve their prospects. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's move would save $57 million as the state faces a $17.2 billion budget shortfall.

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