Proposal for free community college to get hearing on Beacon Hill
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2017 at 8:46 PM
Updated Jul 10, 2017 at 11:38 PM
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would make Massachusetts
community colleges effectively free for in-state students. But the
measure’s author thinks the Legislature most likely will not pass it –
for good reason.
“I’m a realist. The cost would be really restrictive,” said state Sen. Michael O. Moore, who said it could be a nine-figure proposition to carry out his Senate Bill 2088, a refiling of his original 2015 legislation that would make the state responsible for paying the tuition and fees of Massachusetts students attending its community colleges. Specifically, a report on the topic published by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center two years ago estimated the state would take on around $127 million per year to make community college free to in-state students.
But the Democrat from Millbury is hopeful his colleagues will not completely toss the idea this session – sending the bill for further study, for instance, would be a positive outcome, he said. The Joint Committee on Higher Education, which Mr. Moore co-chairs, is scheduled to consider the legislation, along with dozens of other college bills, at a hearing in Boston on Thursday.
“If (state) revenues were to return, and it’s something we could afford, it could be something we see” in the future, Mr. Moore said.
There was a time not long ago when momentum seemed to be headed in that direction. Two years ago President Barack Obama unveiled plans to implement free community college nationwide. On a local level, some areas of the country have followed through; last year, for instance, Boston introduced a tuition-free community college program for the city’s public school students.
There’s an economic argument for the concept, proponents say.
“If you look at the industries right now in need of graduates for their workforce ... a high school diploma is not going to meet their need,” Mr. Moore said.
Many community colleges are already struggling to capture enough of their regions’ shrinking classes of high school graduates. Both Worcester’s Quinsigamond Community College and Gardner’s Mount Wachusett Community College, for example – the only public two-year schools in Central Massachusetts – have seen their annual enrollments decline by around 600 students each since fiscal 2011, according to state records.
Amid those recruiting struggles, Mount Wachusett increased its mandatory fees for the upcoming school year, raising the annual cost for the average student by about $120.
“I welcome any effort to make education more attainable for our students,” the college’s president, James Vander Hooven, said in a statement in response to Mr. Moore’s bill. “Affordability is a cornerstone of Mount Wachusett Community College, with numerous grants and scholarships currently available to our students.”
“Senator Moore’s bill is important to ensure that all residents of Massachusetts have access to higher education,” said Lillian Ortiz, Quinsigamond’s vice president for enrollment management, student engagement and community connections, in a statement of her own. “This will not only allow individuals to improve their ability to support themselves and their families, but it will also strengthen communities on many levels. Businesses will have a strong pool of talented employees to draw upon, allowing them to grow and prosper.”
On a statewide level, the government has tried to stem public college costs, most recently through the Commonwealth Commitment initiative announced last year, which promises to offer rebates and other savings amounting to an average total of around $5,000 for students who complete a four-year transfer path at any of the state’s community college and universities.
So far, however, there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm on Beacon Hill for completely state-subsidized community college. There are no co-sponsors for Mr. Moore’s bill, although a House version of the bill was filed by state Rep. Carmine Gentile, D-Sudbury, and Mr. Moore has no one lined up to testify on behalf of his measure at Thursday’s hearing.
“I haven’t heard overwhelming support for it,” Mr. Moore said.
The state’s higher education department, meanwhile, does not have an official stance on the bill, although several community colleges independently support it.
Even if the bill is passed over again this year, Mr. Moore sees a reason to keep pushing it.
“I think we have to try to look for ways of being innovative in getting students access to these programs, he said.
“I’m a realist. The cost would be really restrictive,” said state Sen. Michael O. Moore, who said it could be a nine-figure proposition to carry out his Senate Bill 2088, a refiling of his original 2015 legislation that would make the state responsible for paying the tuition and fees of Massachusetts students attending its community colleges. Specifically, a report on the topic published by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center two years ago estimated the state would take on around $127 million per year to make community college free to in-state students.
But the Democrat from Millbury is hopeful his colleagues will not completely toss the idea this session – sending the bill for further study, for instance, would be a positive outcome, he said. The Joint Committee on Higher Education, which Mr. Moore co-chairs, is scheduled to consider the legislation, along with dozens of other college bills, at a hearing in Boston on Thursday.
“If (state) revenues were to return, and it’s something we could afford, it could be something we see” in the future, Mr. Moore said.
There was a time not long ago when momentum seemed to be headed in that direction. Two years ago President Barack Obama unveiled plans to implement free community college nationwide. On a local level, some areas of the country have followed through; last year, for instance, Boston introduced a tuition-free community college program for the city’s public school students.
There’s an economic argument for the concept, proponents say.
“If you look at the industries right now in need of graduates for their workforce ... a high school diploma is not going to meet their need,” Mr. Moore said.
Many community colleges are already struggling to capture enough of their regions’ shrinking classes of high school graduates. Both Worcester’s Quinsigamond Community College and Gardner’s Mount Wachusett Community College, for example – the only public two-year schools in Central Massachusetts – have seen their annual enrollments decline by around 600 students each since fiscal 2011, according to state records.
Amid those recruiting struggles, Mount Wachusett increased its mandatory fees for the upcoming school year, raising the annual cost for the average student by about $120.
“I welcome any effort to make education more attainable for our students,” the college’s president, James Vander Hooven, said in a statement in response to Mr. Moore’s bill. “Affordability is a cornerstone of Mount Wachusett Community College, with numerous grants and scholarships currently available to our students.”
“Senator Moore’s bill is important to ensure that all residents of Massachusetts have access to higher education,” said Lillian Ortiz, Quinsigamond’s vice president for enrollment management, student engagement and community connections, in a statement of her own. “This will not only allow individuals to improve their ability to support themselves and their families, but it will also strengthen communities on many levels. Businesses will have a strong pool of talented employees to draw upon, allowing them to grow and prosper.”
On a statewide level, the government has tried to stem public college costs, most recently through the Commonwealth Commitment initiative announced last year, which promises to offer rebates and other savings amounting to an average total of around $5,000 for students who complete a four-year transfer path at any of the state’s community college and universities.
So far, however, there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm on Beacon Hill for completely state-subsidized community college. There are no co-sponsors for Mr. Moore’s bill, although a House version of the bill was filed by state Rep. Carmine Gentile, D-Sudbury, and Mr. Moore has no one lined up to testify on behalf of his measure at Thursday’s hearing.
“I haven’t heard overwhelming support for it,” Mr. Moore said.
The state’s higher education department, meanwhile, does not have an official stance on the bill, although several community colleges independently support it.
Even if the bill is passed over again this year, Mr. Moore sees a reason to keep pushing it.
“I think we have to try to look for ways of being innovative in getting students access to these programs, he said.
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