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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), who represents UC Davis and who served as a University of California Regent and California State University trustee, once again this week called for Congress to prevent the Stafford student loan interest rate from doubling for seven million students and families in exactly one week – on July 1.
Garamendi is a cosponsor of H.R. 1595, the Student Loan Relief Act of 2013, which would freeze the interest rate on these loans at 3.4% for the next two years.
He also has signed a discharge petition to bring the bill to the House Floor for a vote. The petition has garnered the signature of 195 Members of Congress, but needs a majority (218) to force a vote.
“A college education provides a ladder for people to climb up toward their American Dream. However, in just one week, hard working students at UC Davis, Solano Community College, Yuba College, and schools across the country will be kicked down a rung unless Congress acts to prevent Stafford Student Loan Rates from doubling,” Garamendi said.
“Forcing students to pay an average of $1,000 more for their education would not only hurt them, it would harm America’s families, businesses, and our economy. For that reason, I have called for legislation freezing the current rate to be brought to the floor. Congress should not adjourn until we stop this senseless rate hike,” Garamendi added.
At UC Davis, 11,000 students use Stafford Student Loans to help them pay for tuition.
On May 23, House Republicans passed H.R. 1911, the “Making College More Expensive Act,” a student loan bill that was even worse for students and families than allowing interest rates to double – with even higher interest payments by students and families.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, under their bill, students who borrow the maximum amount of subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans over five years would pay nearly $2,000 more in interest costs than if interest rates doubled.
As a UC regent and CSU trustee, Garamendi voted against every undergraduate tuition increase, because he believes higher education is already too expensive and already pricing qualified students out of an education.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – June has already been a busy month for the Lake County Office of Education Career Technical Education and College-Going Initiative departments.
On Saturday, June 1, they were present at the Youth Fest in Clearlake where they distributed college and career materials to people in support of the Clearlake Youth Center.
There was entertainment, free hula hoop making and origami classes, great food and those that visited the LCOE booth received free suckers, college stickers and pens.
The suckers contained stickers helping promote the Facebook page where activities and scholarships are advertised weekly for students of all ages ( www.facebook.com/LCOEcareerandcollege ).
On Monday, June 10, a weeklong ROP Summer camp began at Lower Lake High School for incoming seventh and eighth graders.
Nineteen students attended the five-day camp funded by Mendocino College where they were able to experience the culinary, automotive, child development, medical and agriculture pathways taught by the high school teachers.
Students who had perfect attendance at the camp were entered into a drawing for an iTunes gift card, college t-shirts, Frisbee and other prizes. Clear Lake High School will be offering a similar camp starting Monday, June 24.
All Career Technical Education departments were invited to showcase their programs in the Lewis Hall at the Lake County Spring Fair, June 14-16.
Schools submitted items for display including a trailer made by the welding students at Kelseyville High with instructor Mike Jones, the race car for Lower Lake High with instructor Bill Gabe and woodworking projects from Clear Lake High’s classes with John Moorhead.
Other items on display included samples of work from Lower Lake High’s agriculture, child development, culinary and graphic arts departments.
Erica Boomer and Gary Madison from Upper Lake High displayed a windmill and solar car from the AESA program as well as robots used in this year’s Skills USA contest.
Jennifer Pyzer’s computer classes from Middletown High showcased their artistic talents in printed work including entries into the Doodle 4 Google national contest.
A large-tiered structure featuring a variety of activities was on display from Kelseyville’s agriculture program with Donelle McCallister as well as art work from the computer classes with Robert Griffith.
Also on display were the posters and poems from the Academic Decathlon and photos of the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Volunteen Program.
Approximately 8,000 people attended the spring fair.
For more information on the CTE and CGI departments, contact Program Specialist Tammy Serpa at
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A new online tool released Wednesday by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office allows students and the public to view aggregated median earnings of those who complete a certificate or degree in a specific community college discipline and then enter the workforce.
Salary Surfer, which can be viewed at www.salarysurfer.cccco.edu , displays median annual incomes for those who complete 179 of the most widely enrolled program areas and do not transfer to a four-year institution.
The data show the median earnings for community college graduates two years prior to earning the award, then two years and five years after earning either a certificate or degree.
An analysis of the data contained on Salary Surfer shows that students who complete an associate degree more than double their annual pre-degree earnings after two years in the workforce and nearly triple their pre-degree earnings after five years in the workforce.
“This groundbreaking tool validates that California community colleges produce a tremendous return on investment for our state,” said Brice W. Harris, chancellor of the California Community Colleges during a news conference at Grossmont College in El Cajon. “While future earnings should not be the sole determiner in choosing an educational program, students and the public deserve to know what monetary return they can expect from their investment. Salary Surfer provides that, and California becomes one of the few states in the nation to offer these results publicly.”
Nearly 45 percent of students who graduated with an associate degree and did not transfer earned more than $54,000 annually five years after getting their degree. For comparison purposes, that is the median wage of someone with a bachelor’s degree living in California, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Salary Surfer also provides information on which of the system’s 112 colleges offer programs in a specific discipline.
Wage information comes from an agreement between the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the California Employment Development Department.
For privacy purposes all results are aggregated across campuses statewide and over five years. Additionally, all wages displayed have been indexed to current year dollar figures.
Not all graduates earning wages will be found in Salary Surfer. Excluded are individuals who were employed by the federal government, those who are self-employed or employed out of state.
California Community Colleges Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Economic Development Van Ton-Quinlivan said the data once again shows that earning a certificate or degree translates to real value in the labor market.
“There are some powerful numbers to be gleaned from this site,” Ton-Quinlivan said. “For instance, someone with a certificate as a diagnostic medical sonographer can hope to attain a median income of $85,319 five years after graduation and we have multiple campuses throughout the state offering that certificate program. Our community colleges train 80 percent of the state’s law enforcement personnel, firefighters and emergency medical technicians and police academy certificate holders are earning a median annual wage of $70,520 after five years in the field. ”
With the release of Salary Surfer and the earlier release of the online data tool called the Student Success Scorecard, which measures student outcomes at all 112 colleges, the California Community Colleges becomes the most transparent and accountable system of public higher education in the nation.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), a former University of California Regent and California State University Trustee who represents UC Davis, has joined an action to force an up-or-down vote on critical legislation that would prevent the subsidized Stafford loan interest rate from doubling on July 1st.
The bill would freeze the interest rate on these loans at 3.4 percent for the next two years.
To date, 194 members of Congress have signed the discharge petition to allow a vote on H.R. 1595, the Student Loan Relief Act of 2013.
“If Congress fails to stop the Stafford loan rate from doubling by July 1st, it will take money out of the pockets of working families and students, including 11,000 students at UC Davis. Those stopping this vote from happening should be ashamed,” Congressman Garamendi said. “We live in a country where half of the children from wealthy families complete college, but only one in ten children from the poorest families are able to get their degree. The Stafford loan is a vital lifeline for those trying to bridge the achievement gap, making the American Dream more accessible to all.”
Democrats are launching this discharge petition to force action on this broadly supported legislation because the Republican leadership has refused to move forward on the bill.
The Student Loan Relief Act was introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney on April 17, 2013 and has 161 cosponsors, but the Republican leadership has failed to schedule a hearing or a mark-up on the bill.
A discharge petition requires the House to consider the legislation once a majority of Members of Congress (218) have signed it.
On May 23, House Republicans passed H.R. 1911, the “Making College More Expensive Act,” a student loan bill that was even worse for students and families than allowing interest rates to double – with even higher interest payments by students and families.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, under their bill, students who borrow the maximum amount of subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans over five years would pay nearly $2,000 more in interest costs than if interest rates doubled.
“If you believe like I do that college should be accessible to every qualified student, that a well-educated workforce creates a more resilient economy, then you should join me in calling on the House Republican leadership to give the Student Loan Relief Act the up-or-down vote it deserves,” Garamendi continued. “Education creates our greatest return on investment.”
As a UC Regent and CSU Trustee, Garamendi voted against every undergraduate tuition increase, because he believes higher education is already too expensive and already pricing qualified students out of an education.