Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hartnell officials tell Selenus council Promise program boosts student persistence and narrows funding gap
Summary
Hartnell College leaders told the Selenus City Council that the Selenus Valley Promise program has increased full-time enrollment, raised three-year completion rates for Promise students and produced workforce-aligned outcomes; the college asked the city to consider an ongoing contribution to close an annual fundraising gap.
Hartnell College leaders presented data to the Selenus City Council on Feb. 24 showing that the Selenus Valley Promise program has improved student persistence and graduation outcomes while remaining fiscally stretched.
"This isn't just an access program," Hartnell Vice President Dr. Kil Gail Pitman told the council, summarizing the Promise's wraparound supports for low-income and first-generation students. She said the initiative has shifted many students to full-time enrollment—a key predictor of completion—and that the program's three-year completion rates for Promise cohorts have climbed into the mid-30s and, for more recent cohorts, toward the mid-40s.
Why it matters: City officials and presenters framed the Promise as both an education and economic-mobility strategy. Hartnell President Michael Gutierrez said lowering cost and providing textbooks, laptops and mentoring helps students stay on track to degrees and livable-wage jobs.
Fiscal picture: Dr. Jackie Cruz said Hartnell has used general fund, lottery and AB19 state funds, but still faces an annual fundraising delta. "We have a remainder of $439,000 that we have to raise every year," she said, noting that county matching and prorating city contributions lowered the citys share to approximately $150,000 and a remaining gap of about $89,000. Council members pressed for clarity on what an ongoing city commitment would mean and how the prorating was calculated.
Council reaction and next steps: Council members praised the program's outcomes and asked for more detail on funding scenarios and eligibility for bachelor-level pathway programs. Hartnell said the Promise covers two years of tuition for full-time students and that some bachelor pathways (partnered with Cal State Monterey Bay) are built to compress time to degree. The presentation closed with the college offering to return with refined budget scenarios and options for a multi-year city contribution.
Speakers quoted: Dr. Kil Gail Pitman, vice president, Hartnell College; Dr. Jackie Cruz, Hartnell College; Michael Gutierrez, superintendent/president, Hartnell College.
Ending: City officials thanked Hartnell for the presentation and asked staff to return with budget implications should the council consider an ongoing allocation to the program.
