OAKLAND -- City and school leaders unveiled an ambitious plan Thursday to triple the number of low-income students who graduate college by providing support through college savings accounts, scholarships and pacts with colleges to provide free or partial tuition.

The pep-rally-like launch of the Oakland Promise initiative -- held under a big white tent on the Oakland High School football field -- drew a who's who of Oakland civic and education leaders, as well as U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and University of California President Janet Napolitano.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf addresses members of the media during a press conference about the Oakland Raiders at the City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) ( RAY CHAVEZ )

"We are making this promise today, the Oakland Promise," said Mayor Libby Schaaf, surrounded by an arch of colorful balloons. "It's time to end the tyranny of low expectations. It's time we break down the barriers to hope that have been keeping down our kids for too long."

The plan will open 55,000 college savings accounts for Oakland children, invest $100 million in college scholarships and serve nearly 200,000 students and families across Oakland, as well as triple the number of college graduates from Oakland in the next 10 years, according to a news release. About 67 percent of Oakland's students graduate from high school, and about 71 percent of the district's students are low-income, Oakland Unified Superintendent Antwan Wilson said. The Promise vision is to boost the graduation rate to 85 percent by 2020, he said.


Approximately $25 million has been raised so far toward funding the first four years of the program, which is estimated to cost $38 million. Schaaf urged others throughout the community to donate and make a difference.

To realize the ambitious goals, the city and the school district will partner with more than 100 community groups and nonprofits to provide a broad array of resources for the city's most disenfranchised students.

Highlights of the robust initiative include the Brilliant Baby program, to provide a $500 college savings account to every baby born into poverty in the city. Another highlight promises that every Oakland student entering kindergarten will have a universal college savings account opened in his or her name with a starting amount of $100, and matching funds provided to help families save for their children's college tuition.

In addition, a slew of scholarships would be offered to low-income students through a partnership with East Bay College Fund. The effort would, within a decade, offer every qualifying student a college scholarship of $1,000 to $16,000 over the course of his or her college career.

And 22 colleges, primarily Bay Area colleges and a number of historically black colleges, signed a promise with the East Bay College Fund to provide "additional persistent support" of Oakland students on their campuses, some promising to offer free or partial tuition to eligible Oakland public school students.

UC President Napolitano reminded the crowd that UC offers free tuition to eligible Oakland students whose families who make less than $80,000 a year. Peralta Community College District schools also will provide eligible students a free first semester with no tuition or fees.

Several East Bay private colleges, including Mills College, University of San Francisco and Holy Names University, as well as Paul Quinn College, a historically black college in Dallas, will offer free tuition for a number of Oakland freshmen every year. In addition, all high school students will be able to go to a newly built Future Center at Oakland High School to get help applying for colleges, financial aid, scholarships and internships, city leaders said.

City and school leaders touted the Oakland Promise initiative as one of the most ambitious across the state. The California College Promise was announced by Lt. Governor Newsom late last year as a statewide effort to create regional collaborations from cradle to college and careers.

Newsom, as San Francisco's mayor in 2008, launched the first such partnership with San Francisco State and the San Francisco Unified School District. Since the program began, the number of freshmen enrolled at San Francisco State from San Francisco Unified high schools has grown by 52 percent, and a number of cities, including Richmond, have kicked off similar initiatives.

"We are so united in our commitment and passion for this dream," Schaaf said, adding the effort will be her highest priority in office. "Never have we ever been so aligned for a shared mission: an equitable Oakland where everyone thrives."

Schaaf said she believed that the bold initiative would prove itself to be "well-justified as a permanent investment" that would last well beyond her years in the Mayor's Office.

Oakland Superintendent Wilson agreed.

"Together we can make this moment a powerful movement for change right here in Oakland," he said to the cheering crowd. "And students, this is about you, knowing that regardless of where you come from, the neighborhood you grew up in or the language you speak, you can be successful, and we'll help you do that."

Abellanira Santos, who has two young daughters in Oakland schools and a 20-year-old son who is an Oakland Unified graduate, said that hearing about the initiative gave her a sense of relief that she wouldn't be so alone in her efforts to help her kids to go to college.

"I want my son to go to college and hope they can help him," she said. "And for my daughters, I want them to continue learning and be able to go to college. ... It's a great opportunity for them."

Contact Joyce Tsai at 925-945-4764. Follow her at Twitter.com/joycetsainews.