MN Students, Schools React To Possibility Of Free Community College

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - President Obama asked Congress for a government program to make community college tuition-free for two years on Friday.

Obama said the program would help nine million students save an average of $3,800 dollars in tuition per year.

Minnesota lawmakers are also discussing this idea on a state level.

In a Senate bill proposed by democrats, state money would help any student who earns good enough grades get two free years of community college education.

According to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, the average Minnesota student graduates with $27,300 dollars in students loans--a figure higher than the national average.

The idea of less debt upon graduation is encouraging to students like Maya Strommen.

"These days, without a college education, it's so hard to get a good job," Strommen said.

Strommen is studying Apparel Technology at Minneapolis Community & Technical College (MCTC).

MCTC president Avelino Mills-Novoa said he has been hoping for this plan to take off in Minnesota for years.

"Imagine graduating with two years, having all your generals done and no debt," he said.

Mills-Novoa says it will help allow more minority students to go to college while also helping the economy in the long term by keeping skilled trade jobs alive.

But Republican Senate minority leader David Hann said the current proposed bill is a gimmick with nothing to back it up, including how much it would cost.

"It doesn't get at what the real problem is in education, which is what goes on in the K-12 system," he said. "We have an achievement gap, we have a trouble getting kids to graduate."

Hann also said the current proposal does not have any needs-based provisions. It would simply be free school for all.

But Mills-Novoa said every student deserves a break from the cycle of debt.

"Are we going to saddle all our young folks with debt in order to meet basic needs of an education and participate in the economy?" Mills-Novoa said. "I don't think that's the way to go."

Democrats who proposed the bill told WCCO they are working on crunching the numbers to see how much this type of program would cost.

They cited another state, Tennessee, which has a similar program and pays $34 million per year to keep it going.

However, they said the cost of tuition in Minnesota tends to be higher.

The cost of a federal initiative is also being discussed.