On Friday, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1533, authored by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, making the Long Beach College Promise Partnership Act (The Promise) a permanent program, O’Donnell’s office announced last week.
“As a teacher, I am pleased that students will be able to continue to count on the education model we have built for them,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “The Promise offers students achievable goals, with resources and opportunities that have proven widely successful. This is definitely a promise worth keeping.”
The program has helped to increase the number of students completing college-level English and math courses and the number of students able to complete 25 transferable units in their first year, according to the release.
The Promise is a partnership between the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), Long Beach City College (LBCC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).
“Long Beach City College is very grateful for Assemblymember O’Donnell’s leadership in authoring this bill and for Governor Brown’s continued support of the Long Beach College Promise,” LBCC Superintendent-President Reagan F. Romali said in a statement. “Reauthorization of the College Promise Partnership Act allows us to continue college preparation and alignment efforts with our Long Beach Unified School District partners.”
Brown signing AB 1533 eliminates the June 30, 2017 sunset date for the Long Beach College Promise Partnership Act, enacted in 2011, according to the announcement.