Rhode Island Pushes Free College as State Faces $200 Million Deficit
“I don’t think you should have to be rich to get that ticket.”
Free college is all the rage on the left. It’s amazing that they’re still pushing it as schools are closing all over.
Campus Reform reports:
RI Gov. pushes for ‘free’ college…with $200 million deficit
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo wants to expand existing free college options offered in-state after the anticipated success of the current Rhode Island Promise program. Some state lawmakers, though, say the expansion comes prematurely and would cost too much.
As reported by the Boston Globe, during a state House Finance Committee in March, Raimondo argued that expanding the program to include four-year degrees would ultimately benefit the state’s economy, saying: “Almost every single decent job being created is for somebody who has a degree past high school. I don’t think you should have to be rich to get that ticket.”
Rhode Island is one of nearly 20 states to offer some form of free tuition to state residents. The current RI Promise program offers graduating high school students the option of attending local community college two-year Associate’s degree programs at no cost, provided they maintain a GPA of 2.5 or above as full-time students.
The Promise program was introduced by Raimondo in 2017 as a “last-dollar scholarship” to cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees students can face even after receiving student aid. According to the Globe, after implementation of the program, enrollment doubled and the predicted two-year graduation rates indicate a 12 percent rise.
Though in a $200 million state budget deficit, Raimondo allocated $13.2 million dollars in the 2020 proposed budget for both the RI Promise program and the expansion, which would also open the Promise program eligibility to students older than 25, according to the Globe.
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