One lunch meeting this February, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara Board of Directors voted to make $2 million available to college-bound students without legal status. It was the second time the 40-member board formally voted on the controversial issue — this time with less debate.
“It’s the long-awaited move we’ve been encouraging our community for quite some time,” said Jonathan Wang, president of the Adsum Education Foundation, an all-volunteer group that raises money specifically for the estimated 2,000 or so undocumented high school students in the county. More dollars will be available to these highly qualified students, he explained. “From a broader standpoint, it’s what’s right.”
The climate in California has grown more favorable toward undocumented students in recent years — first in 2001 with the passage of AB 540 (allowing undocumented high school students to pay in-state tuition) and 10 years later with the California Dream Act (allowing them to receive state grants). Since the Obama administration unveiled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2014, education leaders nationwide have taken steps to expand affordability.