On a rainy afternoon, Grace Holcroft was rushing to a class on Clark College’s campus.
The 17-year-old junior at Washougal High School has two part-time jobs and is taking classes at Clark College to get a jump-start on her degree.
Part of the reason she’s taking classes early, she said, is she’s part of a program that offsets the cost of credits.
By the time she fulfills her dream of being a chiropractor, she imagines she will have significant student debt.
Earlier this week, Washington lawmakers proposed making tuition for the state’s community and technical colleges free.
Free community college? That could end up being “really helpful,” the teenager said.
“This is an everyday, working people’s issue,” said Sen. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, who is the chief proponent of the measure. “It doesn’t matter where you live in the state, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat — if you have kids, you’re worried about their education.”
The projected cost of offering free tuition could be up to $125 million in 2017, depending on the number of students enrolled, Jayapal said. A way to pay for the program has not been identified.
Last legislative session, lawmakers cut tuition for four-year colleges and universities, which was an effort first pushed by Republicans. When initially introducing their proposal, Republicans didn’t have a way to pay for it, Jayapal noted. First they made it a priority and then discussed how to pay for the proposal — and this will be the same, she said.
Dubbed the “Washington Promise,” it would not impact state or federal financial aid; only after students received financial aid would the grant kick in.
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, criticized the proposal, saying it amounts to a “great sound bite” during an election year.
“It’s like a promise we can’t keep,” Rivers said. “And I’m gravely concerned about students not having skin in the game. … It’s not really free. Someone is paying for it, and we don’t place as much value on it.”
The current proposal would allow any student without a degree who completes a state or federal application for financial aid to be eligible. Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
“There is no question in the state of Washington people need at least two years of community or technical college to be successful,” said Chato Hazelbaker, spokesman for Clark College. “The data backs that up again and again.”
Tuition and fees at Clark College are about $4,000, and the majority of students receive financial aid, Hazelbaker said.
President Barack Obama has championed making community college free, raising the profile of the idea. A handful of states, including Oregon, have created free community college programs.
The application process for students is currently underway in Oregon for students interested in attending community college in the fall of 2016. About 7,430 students have applied and 12,786 have started the process.
Kristin Woitte, an instructor of health and physical education at Clark College, said she anticipates it would benefit not only students currently enrolled but also those who ruled out applying because of affordability concerns.
“Everybody deserves the opportunity to better themselves,” she said.
Without this measure, Jayapal said the state will have a hard time filling the demands of the state’s workforce needs.
