It’s not a searing hot-button issue like the recent Supreme Court controversy, Russia investigation, tax cuts or healthcare. But free community college — pushed into the mainstream conversation during the 2016 Democratic primaries by Bernie Sanders — is heating up the agenda of numerous gubernatorial candidates in 2018.
And community colleges also will be on the ballot in states and cities with pending bond referenda regarding facilities upgrades.
Proposals overall run the gamut from four years of free tuition at public colleges, to a mix of two years free and four years debt-free, to a tighter focus on just two years of debt-free community college.
The National Governors Association (NGA) has tallied 20 candidates who have focused on “free” community college in either their platforms or public statements, although NGA didn’t provide candidate-specific information.
Additionally, candidates highlight a variety of other policies referencing community college and workforce development, such as expanding career and technical education at community colleges, increasing concurrent enrollment options between high school and community colleges, and encouraging general partnerships between community colleges, labor and industry, NGA says.
“Through our work monitoring this November’s elections, NGA has identified a general policy trend among a number of candidates focused on improving college affordability,” says Aaliyah Samuel, education director at NGA. “In addition to free college, other high-interest policies in this area include addressing the cost of college, including need-based aid and the price of tuition, rising student debt, and finding ways to speed up degree completion to increase affordability such as early college credit programs.”
Gubernatorial candidates
Among the candidates touting college affordability plans is Arizona Democrat David Garcia, who advocates that the state pay community college tuition for two years so long as students pay their living expenses and stay on track toward finishing a degree or certificate. Garcia would then like to take the next step and “begin opening the doors to our four-year public universities,” he wrote in an op-ed published on azcentral.com.
An analysis from Vote Smart turned up a dozen other gubernatorial candidates who have addressed the issue of college affordability, some of whom have spoken generally about the issue and others who have specifically honed in on free community college. The issue has been especially front and center in Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota, states that have two candidates apiece who have brought up the issue in position statements.
In Maryland, Democrat Ben Jealous has put forth a plan called “Ending the Student Debt Crisis: A Plan to Transform Higher Education” that the candidate says will reverse the trend toward higher student debt. The plan includes initiatives toward free community college for every state resident and debt-free four-year public institutions, as well as “a progressive program which will allow those suffering under onerous debt requirements to refinance their loans,” according to Jealous’ platform.
Ian Schlakman, the Green Party candidate from Maryland, notes that state residents collectively owe $30 billion in student loan payments. “We need to provide tuition-free public higher education and forgive all outstanding student debts,” Schlakman’s platform reads. “Once liberated from debt, tens of thousands of people will have more disposable income available to invest in their future and spend in our economy.”
In Michigan, Green Party candidate Jennifer Kurland also calls for free public colleges and universities for any in-state resident. “The entire state should be a ‘promise zone.’ We must ensure that we are training future welders as much as future doctors,” Kurland’s platform says, adding that the state’s efforts should be “specifically focused on ‘jobs of tomorrow’ and skilled trades.”
Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic candidate from Michigan, calls for a “two-year debt-free talent investment” in those who “pursue a college track,” noting that high school students need to be prepared for further education “be it with a certificate in the skilled trades, technical apprenticeship” or on a college campus.
In Minnesota, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Tim Walz wants to help give every state resident the chance to pursue higher education by providing “two years [of] tuition-free education at Minnesota state institutions for individuals who families make less than $125,000 per year.”
Walz’s rival Chris Wright, the candidate of the Grassroots Party, believes education is “a human right,” and notes that American student loan debt is more than $1.5 trillion. “At a minimum, minus federal funding, the state can and should provide a two-year tuition-free higher education which includes trade school,” Walz’s platform says. He quotes from the book Why Public Higher Education Should be Free, by Robert Samuels, who found the average cost of tuition, room and board at a community college in 2010 to be $7,629, meaning that free community college at that time would have cost $33 billion nationwide.
Six other gubernatorial candidates, all Democrats, were cited by Vote Smart:
- In California, Gavin Newsom would guarantee two free years of community college tuition through his California Promise initiative, which also would create a new higher education coordinating council among the community college system, Cal State and the University of California to set “bold” statewide goals and hold one another to account. “He is passionate about community colleges and believes they are the backbone of our economy and one of the most effective tools for upward mobility,” Newsom’s platform says.
- Florida’s Andrew Gillum wants to revitalize vocational training in public schools through SHOP 2.0, which would include computer education, and he “would focus on making college debt free and encouraging businesses to share responsibility for educating the workforce they want to hire.”
- Georgia candidate Stacey Abrams wants to help students graduate debt-free from public colleges by instituting need-based aid and continuing to offer an array of scholarships and programs such as technical college tuition assistance, HOPE merit scholarships, military and veteran scholarships, and service cancellable loans. For students with a 2.0 grade-point average or higher, Abrams’ plan would offer tuition-free technical certificates and diplomas.
- In Iowa, Fred Hubbell believes that “making higher education more accessible and affordable creates a more skilled workforce and helps get Iowa growing.” He would work with community colleges and regents to “stabilize skyrocketing tuition.”
- New York incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo is the one candidate on the list who already has moved forward a free college initiative (Tennessee and several other states have done the same). He signed the Excelsior Scholarship providing cost-free tuition and the state’s public colleges and universities, including community colleges, for those who have been residents of the state for at least a year before applying and have an adjusted federal gross income of $110,000 or less.
Ballot referenda
Voters in at least two states and nine community college districts will have the opportunity to vote on referenda to issue bonds that are either specifically targeted to two-year schools or could impact them at least partially.
The National Conference of State Legislatures database of state-level ballot measures indicated a $15 million general obligation bond issue for community colleges in Maine. This would go toward such facilities as laboratories, information technology infrastructure and HVAC systems. In Rhode Island, a $70 million bond issue would go toward higher education facilities more generally, including community colleges. In New Jersey, a proposed $350 million education bond would provide $50 million towards community college workforce facilities.
Voters in Seattle will decide whether to pass the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy, a $637.8 million education issue that, among many other facets, would make community college free for high school graduates within the city. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who campaigned on the promise of free community college, told The Seattle Times that the levy would include wraparound services like high-school counseling and access to school nurses designed to keep students in school and on track for completion.
Local facilities referenda include Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, which is asking for $349 million to fund projects in the school’s 2017-23 capital improvement program. These would include $89.6 million for a 70,000-square-foot advanced industries building and parking deck, $82.3 million for a 70,000-square-foot health sciences building, and $35.5 million for a 90,000-square-foot automotive and collision repair space.
In Illinois, Harper College is asking voters for $180 million for capital projects that include a new 43,000-square-foot business resource center estimated at $28.5 million, renovation and expansion of accounting, business, health and manufacturing facilities, totaling another $88.7 million, and maintenance and replacement of infrastructure like roofs, electrical and plumbing, estimated at $62.8 million.
At least five community college districts in California have put bond issues on the ballot for November 6, according to the website Ballotpedia. Among them:
- Chaffey Community College District is seeking $700 million for facilities upgrades including vocational, science, computer, technology classrooms and labs; repair of deteriorating classrooms, roofs, gas, electrical and sewer lines; removal of asbestos and lead paint; improvement of veterans’ resources; and the ability to quality for state matching funds.
- San Bernardino Community College District would like $470 million toward facility upgrades for classrooms, labs, the veterans center, and career counseling and job training offices for science, engineering, nursing and industrial careers, as well as improving student safety and providing “access to affordable, high quality education.”
- Peralta Community College District is asking for $8 million for facilities and technology, to upgrade classrooms, technology and science labs; expand job training classrooms; and acquire, construct and repair sites, facilities and equipment.
