Free Community
College
By Jennifer, Stewart, Tammy, Miranda, and Paige
Specific Position
Our group believes that two free years of Community College would
have a positive impact on our country and our economy in several
ways;
It would improve the workforce,
Improve/Strengthen the economy,
Fill the gaps in our workforce that are currently lacking,
Provide career opportunities to individuals who are currently unable to
secure a secondary education.
Improve the quality of life through education.
Limitations; Funding
States would be required to fund 25% of this program, with the
Federal Government funding the other 75% through taxation.
Many would not support taxes that would provide free schooling to
others.
The program only covers the cost of HALF of a Bachelors degree,
meaning that these students would be responsible for finding
funding to complete their degrees. This would leave many students
in the program with half completed degrees paid for by taxpayers,
who are not seeing any economic benefit from this program, as
these students are still unable to enter the workforce due to
incomplete degrees.
Limitations; Program Requirements
- Students would be expected to keep up a 2.5 GPA Average.
- Students are only able to attain the first half of a Bachelor's
degree or an Associates degree. (White House Fact Sheet).
- Only being able to secure the first half of a Bachelors degree
means that students will be left to find financial supports to
complete their degree. This may cause many individuals to be
unable to complete their degrees.
Counterparts; Funding
Free College programs still rely on the FAFSA which determines the amount of
money a student would be able to afford financially. This would mean that
students who have the ability to fully, or partially pay would be required to do so,
and would receive the rest of their education that they cannot afford for free.
Many students who enroll in Community College work either part or full time,
and will have the ability to save for the final two years of their Bachelors degree
while receiving the first two years free. Having no financial burden relating to
school for a full two years, allows students to be saving the money they will need
to complete their degrees.
States are only asked to provide funding to students who meet the performance
standard (a 2.5 GPA) not simply those who enroll. This means that states only
have to provide funding to students who are actually earning their spot in school.
Counterparts; Community College
Already Affordable
Others raise the argument that community college is already free for most low-
income students through Pell grants (Huff Post). Many believe that Community
College is an already affordable alternative to State and Private Universities.
However, many are still unable to afford the costs that come with community
college. (Tuition, administrative fees, books, housing, etc).
Due to difficulties navigating the FAFSA form, up to 2.9 billion dollars of federal
funding goes unused. (USA Today)
Counterparts; Overload the
Workforce
With the prospect of free college education for all, many are
concerned that the new masses of college educated applicants
will overload the workforce, and make it incredibly difficult to
attain a job.
However, employers seeking to improve their workforce by
hiring newly educated students will receive $2400-$15000 tax
credit per student hired. This will benefit the employer as they
will have skilled employees and tax credits. (NY Dept of Labor)
Rationales
This program would make college education more accessible to
those who otherwise would not have access to it.
Having more college educated individuals would improve the
work force.
Improving and strengthening the workforce leads to a stronger
economy.
Rationales
This proposal also allows students to obtain an Associates Degree
instead of half of a free Bachelors degree. Meaning that students still
have the ability to have entire college degrees paid for. These
completed degrees will allow students to enter the workforce
immediately after two years, and not have to find a way to complete
their Bachelors degree on their own.
Ensuring students maintain a 2.5 GPA would hold students accountable
and ensure that they are actively engaging as students.
Works Cited
Dash, S. (2015, Mar 4). A guide to Obamas free community college plan. Retrieved from [Link]
[Link]
EAB Daily Briefing (2016). Obama doubles down on free community college in 2017 budget proposal. Retrieved from
[Link]
com/daily-briefing/2015/09/14/obama-doubles-down-on-free-community-college
Goldrick-Rab, S., & Kelly, A. P. (2016). Should community college be free? Education next talks with Sara Goldrick-Rab and Andrew
P. Kelly. Education Next, 16(1), 54+. Retrieved from [Link]
vol_j62n&xid=9ccb0ba8
Work Cited - continued
Long, H. (2016, May 20). College enrollment is dropping. Bad sign? Retrieved from [Link]
economy/college-enrollment-down/
Imam, M. (2015, Jan 20). $2.9 billion unused federal grant awards in last academic year. USA Today College. Retrieved from
[Link]
New York State Department of Labor (2016, Jun). Fact sheet: Tax incentives for businesses (NYDOL Publication No. P438 (6/16)).
Albany, NY.
Works Cited -
Continued
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2015, Jan 9). Fact sheet White House unveils Americas college
promise proposal: Tuition-free community college for responsible students [Press release]. Retrieved from
[Link]
college-promise-proposal-tuitio
