The California Online College legally exists and is fully funded, but many details are not yet in place even as it is under a tight deadline to begin enrolling students by the final quarter of 2019.
With state funding secure, plans are underway for the first students to enroll in the fall of 2019. The new college will serve the 2.5 million so-called stranded workers who lack a college degree but need skills to advance
Some lawmakers are saying it is rushed and lacks enough buy-in from college presidents and faculty. Others worry the plan itself may cost the colleges and their students financially.
“This is a game changer for workers,” said Rebecca Miller, the political director of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, at a March legislative hearing about Brown’s proposal.
