Supervisor Kim proposes making City College free for all San Francisco residents; suggests funding from luxury transfer tax

San Francisco — Supervisor Jane Kim on Tuesday announced a proposal to make City College tuition-free for all San Francisco residents, regardless of age or income, and proposed using a portion of revenues from a pending "ultra luxury" real-estate transfer tax to fund the effort.

Kim said the program would be the first in the nation to remove prerequisites and income caps and would include a $1,000 scholarship for students eligible for existing waivers to help with books and other costs. She said the fund would cover a wide range of students: recent high-school graduates, adults seeking job training, seniors and immigrants seeking English or computer classes.

Nut graf: Kim said the program would be financed, in part, by revenues from a proposed ballot measure that raises transfer taxes on very high-value home and building sales (a bracket for $5 million+ and a new bracket for $25 million+). The ballot measure is projected to yield about $29 million to the general fund over 10 years; Kim proposed dedicating an estimated $12'$13 million of that revenue to the City College fund.

Kim said she has asked the city attorney and the controller to draft a "free City College" fund and that trustees, labor groups and the college's leadership are part of early discussions. She also noted an interest in piloting parts of the proposal ahead of a November ballot.

Ending: The supervisor said the proposal is the start of a process and that additional program design details, including childcare and outreach for nontraditional students, would be worked out in collaboration with the college, labor groups and community partners.