California § 78090 - The Community College Student Access, Retention, and Debt Cancellation Program is

§ 78090. The Community College Student Access, Retention, and Debt Cancellation Program is

(a) The Community College Student Access, Retention, and Debt Cancellation Program is hereby established. (b) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall allocate funds on a one-time basis to community college districts to support efforts to increase student retention rates and enrollment by engaging former community college students who may have withdrawn from a community college district due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, current community college students who may be hesitant to remain enrolled at a community college district due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and prospective students who may be hesitant to enroll at a community college district due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) (1) The governing board of a community college district shall prioritize the use of allocated funds received pursuant to subdivision (b) for community colleges in the district with the largest declines in enrollment due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) A community college district may use funds allocated pursuant to subdivision (b) to provide a fiscal incentive for students to reenroll, or for prospective students to enroll, at the community college. (3) A community college district may use funds allocated pursuant to subdivision (b) to discharge unpaid fees due or owed by a student to a community college in the district. (d) In considering the allocation methodology to community college districts, the chancellor shall allocate additional funds to community college districts that have the most significant declines in unduplicated student headcount since Fall 2019. (e) The chancellor may allocate up to 10 percent of the funds appropriated for purposes of the program to support statewide recruitment and retention efforts. (f) Implementation of the program established pursuant to this section is contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.