As San Diego students prep for the leap to college life, the San Diego Unified School District is doubling down on its commitment to make higher education more affordable. Enter the CalKIDS Money Festival, a focused effort slated to take place for the third time this school year today at Crawford High School, providing a pathway for students to claim up to $1,500 in unclaimed college funds. The district has already staged two previous Money Festivals, rolling out a reported sum of over $150,000 to more than 300 students, according to the San Diego Unified School District.
The track record of these events speaks volumes, with expectations for over 100 families to attend this round, ready to unlock funds that the state of California has neatly set aside for them. Yet, many students are in the dark about their eligibility for this financial aid, which, by the way, demands no essays, recommendation letters, or GPA hurdles to leap over. “Our responsibility to our students doesn’t end at graduation,” Dr. Fabi Bagula, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent (Interim), conveyed, per the San Diego Unified. Echoing those sentiments, Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, Trustee of the San Diego Unified School Board of Education, underscored the perfect timing with college decisions and summer break on the horizon…