Students participating in Moreno Valley’s MoVaLEARNS-Mayors Challenge for the 2020-’21 academic year have received their first two stipends.
The partnership between the city and Moreno Valley College provides $250 monthly to 50 students at the local community college, according to a statement on the city’s website.
The money, paid out for eight months, helps a student avoid leaving school for a low-wage job to pay their bills or otherwise stay afloat financially.
“Our residents should never have to choose between paying the bills and getting an education,” said Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez in the statement. “Being able to help students stay in school and get their degrees for such a small amount of money is a tremendous return on investment for our community.”
Gutierrez recently hosted this year’s participants in a ceremony at City Hall.
MoVaLEARNS-Mayor’s Challenge was created in 2018 as a pilot program with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, according to the statement.