President Joe Biden has proposed making community colleges tuition-free as a part of his American Families Plan. Biden has supported this policy since his time as Vice President and included it in his primary campaign platform. If passed, this would change the way higher education is funded and would benefit millions of students across the county. But the question remains whether Republican governors and legislatures will support such an idea.
As proposed, the way that community colleges would become tuition-free is through a federal-state partnership in which the federal government provides funds to states in order to eliminate tuition. States are required to provide matching funds to cover a share of that cost, though the federal government would cover a larger share of the cost. The big fear among proponents of free community college is that Republican governors and legislatures will do as they did with expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and not allow free community college to happen in their states.
But Republican state lawmakers should set politics aside and support free community college because it is good policy that will help their states. Community colleges educate large swaths of low-income students and students who are the first in their family to go to college, granting them certificates and associate degrees, and transferring many to four-year colleges and universities.
Community colleges are also an integral piece of the country’s workforce development system. Americans enroll in certificate and associate degree programs in technical fields such as welding, advanced manufacturing, health care, and much more. Community colleges also partner with businesses to design curriculum that is specific to their needs. For example, Kentucky community colleges have the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KY FAME) where they collaborate with manufacturers like Toyota, General Electric, and more. In addition to their education, students received paid, on-the-job training through an apprenticeship.
Eliminating tuition at community colleges would open the door to economic opportunity for millions of students. Research has shown how effective it can be. For example, a study from the Federal Trade Commission found that free community college increases enrollment 26 percent and degree completions by 20 percent.
But it’s not just good policy. Making community colleges tuition-free is a very popular policy. Recent polling from Morning Consult showed that 59 percent of voters support it. One poll from last year showed that 63 percent of all Americans support making all public colleges and universities tuition-free.
It's no surprise why governors across the country have enacted these policies on the state-level. Tennessee is known nationally for being a red state that implemented free community college. And it did so with success, increasing enrollment and degree attainment in the state. Other Republicans should follow the lead of Tennessee and support the policy should it pass in Congress. Doing so will help their citizens and their economies.
Related Readings:
The Impact Of Free Community College
Republicans Should Support Biden’s Free Community College Proposal - Forbes
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