Paramount, CA – Paramount Unified School District is working to create promise agreements with Compton Community College, UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach, which would provide District students with tuition assistance, academic support and priority registration.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan D. Smith said the talks started with Compton Community College President and CEO Dr. Keith Curry in 2017, then expanded to include the two other colleges. The District plans to have these agreements finalized and available for the class of 2019.

“Our hope is that we will develop an agreement that will support our students as they transition from Paramount Unified into and through any one of those colleges,” Smith said. “We want to have something set up so that our students can have some important benefits such as priority registration, tuition and advisement if they go to our college partners.”

Smith said the District’s biggest goals are to offer guaranteed admission to UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach for students who meet certain academic prerequisites as well as a support service for helping students transition from high school to college.

For District students who attend Compton Community College, Smith said he wants an agreement that will help with tuition, book fees and transportation.

“This proposed partnership will provide our students with unparalleled support,” Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez said. “We want all of our students to consider their options for higher education and we believe this agreement will give our students a fantastic goal to strive toward.”

Smith said that while exact details of the partnerships are still up for discussion, the District plans to meet with the college’s representatives every six weeks to refine the pact.

The agreement is the latest effort by the District to sharpen its focus on college and career success.

In 2017, the District started the Paramount Unified High School Promise. The program sent 29 educators, parents and community members to a variety of high schools in Long Beach, El Segundo and Escondido. The visits give the District ideas for expanding learning opportunities and additional college and career pathways.

“I look forward to our District’s ongoing partnership with these prestigious colleges,” Board President Vivian Hansen said. “This partnership is yet another way of showcasing our District’s commitment to providing our students with college and career success.”

Once the agreement is in effect, the District will consider entering into a partnership with a private college, Smith said.

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012418_PARAMOUNT_COLLEGEPARTNERSHIP: Paramount Unified School District is working on a partnership with local colleges that will provide District students with tuition assistance, academic support and priority registration. The District plans to have these agreements finalized and available for the class of 2019.