Last Member Drive of 2025!

Your year-end tax-deductible gift powers our local newsroom. Help raise $1 million in essential funding for LAist by December 31.
$700,442 of $1,000,000 goal
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

K-12 Districts Raise Concerns Over Cal State Admissions Proposal

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Listen 0:52
K-12 Districts Raise Concerns Over Cal State Admissions Proposal

California students may soon need to take an extra year of math or a  related course like coding, personal finance or a lab science in high school to qualify for admission to the Cal State University system.  Leaders of some K-12 districts — from Anaheim to Santa Ana to L.A. Unified — oppose the change. 

Audrey Dow, from the Campaign for College Opportunity, said districts are concerned that there aren't enough qualified teachers to fill the proposed requirement and also fear that the change would shut black and Latino students out of college. 

L.A. Unified School board member Mónica García wondered if CSU leaders are hoping the tougher admissions requirement solves a space problem. “I am worried this is an enrollment management strategy,” she said.

One big district supporting the change, though, is Long Beach Unified, whose superintendent is also a CSU trustee.  That district has long required a fourth year of math — and CSU says that’s boosted graduation rates among students of color. 

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right