Pretty soon, going to community college in Tennessee may become absolutely free. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam unveiled the proposal in his annual State of the State address this week.
Haslam is trying to lift Tennessee’s ranking as one of the least-educated states. Less than a third of residents have even a two-year degree. But a community college free-for-all has been tried elsewhere, though not sustained, and there’s always a nagging question.
“So I know you’re wondering,” Haslam said. “How do we pay for this?”
Haslam told state lawmakers he’ll tap into a mound of excess cash generated by the state’s lottery. Roughly $300 million would go into an endowment. The returns would pay to send high school seniors without other scholarships to community college.
“Net cost to the state, zero. Net impact on our future? Priceless,” he said to a round of applause. It’s an effective one-liner that’s been praised by education leaders and students.