A new initiative by President Obama could eliminate tuition fees for students in their first two years of community college, which includes those at Pierce College.
The plan will officially be announced at the State of the Union address on Jan. 20, and would require Congress’ approval before becoming law. It would affect all students, regardless of financial factors, and is intended to make it easier for millions of Americans to gain higher education.
“Students who go full-time almost always succeed,” LACCD Board of Trustees President Scott Svonkin said. “If it was free, they might not have to work, or they might be able to work less.”
Few details of the plan have been released, but the White House suggested it would work in tandem with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This could mean that any remaining tuition costs, or other fees, would be covered by the plan.
The plan would cost around $60 billion in federal funding over 10 years. But details of where the money would come from have not been made public just yet.
“Where do the Feds get their money from,” said Pamela Brown, Pierce economics professor. “From the states. It’s all state tax dollars. The state of California should say no to this, keep its own federal dollar contributions, and use it in our state.”
The plan is expected to be modeled after “Tennessee Promise,” a law introduced in that state in 2014. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said in September that since he had signed the bill into law in May, more than 22,000 students enrolled in the scholarship program. The first of those students will begin classes later this year.
“If you can invest in our students, it will drive the economies of every community across the nation,” Svonkin said.
