California’s community colleges say they aren’t going to close the gaps in graduation rates between racial and ethnic groups, missing goals set by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A last-minute bill would force Cal State to give non-faculty staff raises, costing the system almost $900 million over 10 years — money the system says it doesn’t have. Cal State may be forced to cut programs at San Jose State and other campuses and raise tuition if it doesn’t get enough state money.

A one-time state program worth $500 million has opened up from its pilot program to support displaced workers who want to acquire new job skills. 

The Cal State system says current plans to expand Cal Grants would leave out more middle class students at San Jose State and other CSUs in the future, even though there would be a net gain of eligible students overall. Supporters of the expansion say Cal State officials are telling the whole story.

By officially prioritizing part-time work as a way for students to pay for college, the University of California moved closer this week to its goal of students avoiding burdensome loans by 2030.

Roughly 360,000 UC and CSU students may soon receive about $1,000 to $3,000 to fund their educations this fall as part of California’s effort to make college debt-free. Another form of aid to help more community college students has a less clear path

The University of California and the UC lecturers union reached an agreement after years of negotiating, heading off a strike planned for today.