SAN ANTONIO — Tuesday, local leaders and school districts began a week of celebrations to launch the AlamoPROMISE program, aimed at providing cost-free college for graduating high school seniors across Bexar County.
Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores invited students to go to the AlamoPROMISE website and "save their seat" at one of the district's five colleges for the fall 2020 semester.
Dr. Flores said less than 45 percent of graduating seniors in San Antonio currently go on to college, and that surveys show the major barrier to students enrolling in college is having enough money.
"AlamoPROMISE demonstrates that the Alamo Colleges District and its partners are committed to ending poverty, enhancing economic and social mobility and meeting workforce demands in our area by making it possible for more students to complete college prepared for high-wage, high-demand jobs," Dr. Flores wrote in a statement.
"Cost is no longer a factor for college, the first two years, in our community," Dr. Flores said. "So we're excited about that. We launched today, we have the first 25 high schools- predominantly in San Antonio and the east side, west side, south side, north side- and then we'll build out."
AlamoPROMISE will cover an associate's degree, or up to three years of college, by offering "last-dollar funding."
It will roll out to schools in several phases. Here are the first 2 rounds of schools:
Phase 1 High Schools (2020-2021): Brackenridge, Burbank, East Central, Edison, Fox Technical, Harlandale, Highlands, Holmes, Houston, Jay, Jefferson, John F Kennedy, Judson, Lanier, Legacy, Lee, McCollum, Memorial, Roosevelt, Somerset, South San, Southside, Southwest, Wagner and Young Women's Leadership
Phase 2 High Schools (2021-2022): Alamo Heights, Marshall, Brandeis, O'Connor, Brennan, Randolph, Churchill, Reagan, Clark, Robert G Cole, Harlan, Stevens, Health Careers, Stacey, Johnson, Taft, Macarthur, Warren, Madison and International School of Americas
To learn more or sign up for the program, click here.