Questions Arise Over Raimondo's Free Tuition Proposal

Questions Arise Over Raimondo's Free Tuition Proposal

Governor Gina Raimondo's announcement that Rhode Island students can qualify for two years of free tuition at any of the state's public colleges as part of her 2018 budget proposal has been met with questions by members of the CCRI community, as well as political leaders. 

"As a liberal progressive I support any form of lowering tuition for college students, and right now the concept du jour is free tuition," said CCRI Professor of English Steve Forleo. "And the Governor has now thrown out a new, bright, shiny object. The Governor says the money is there? Perhaps money saved from the new computer system or the toll revenue will pay for this program?"

As first reported by the Providence Journal, Raimondo said she will unveil more details of her plan ahead of her State of the State speech on Tuesday. The plan is slated to cost $30 million annually once fully phased in, to provide students in good academic standing with two years free tuition. 

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"As a liberal, I'm on the opposite side of the political spectrum from Gina, who's generally quite conservative, but I agree with this initiative," said Sam Bell with the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats of America. "Tuition-free college is a key step on the way to defeating student debt.  The price is shockingly affordable.  Let's do this!"

Academic Questions

Former Director of Administration Gary Sasse said that he wants to see more specifics regarding the program, and posed some preliminary questions.

"The devil is in the details. If done in an accountable, transparent and efficient manner, investing in people can pay dividends for both the state and the individual. Quality counts, so before new money is spent decision makers must consider if the education will be of a high quality and prepare students for real jobs in the private sector," said Sasse. 

"I have long felt that to provide the technical skills needed for jobs in this economy it may make sense to have a K-14 education system. However care must be taken to assure that the college courses taxpayers finance are for such things as math, sciences, information technology, health related services, and the professions and not programs that do not prepare our kids for success," said Sasse.

CCRI's Forleo, however, questioned how the move would impact the mission of CCRI. 

"It's tough to evaluate without actually seeing the precise proposal, but one concern I see could be the lessening of academic standards. Grade inflation, retention and persistence? How will this free tuition work with Performance Based Funding?" asked Forleo. 

"If it's just about jobs and employment, then we've lost our way and mission, especially if business interests become the driving engine," added Forleo. "I don't want to see free tuition used to funnel students into workforce development, coming out with a certificate for a job, when we should encourage and guide them toward a lifetime career path with at least a baccalaureate degree."

Political Perspectives

House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan raised her concerns on Sunday. 

"This new ‘free’ program seems designed to grab headlines without being well thought out," said Morgan. "To be sure seeking to make college more affordable is a laudable goal, but this new and expensive proposal is being made against a backdrop of our K-12 public schools struggling to graduate children with the knowledge and skills that are needed to benefit from higher education. Our state is already struggling financially, is it a wise decision to create another expensive program, before the elementary and secondary school programs are strengthened?"

"Unfortunately, the most disturbing consideration is our still stagnant economy," added Morgan. "Will Rhode Island taxpayers simply be paying to educate and train our children for jobs in other states?  Just as a family must first take care of the basics when they devise their budget, our state’s leaders must repair and grow our economy, before they begin adding non-essential spending programs."

Republican State Representative Robert "Bobby" Nardolillo questioned the timing as well, given the state's financial standing. 

"I think the proposed idea of free tuition for two years is a great idea. I believe that it will help provide financial relief for parents/students, and also be a great motivation for high school students to challenge themselves for a college degree, without the dread of student loans," said Nardolillo. 

"My only hesitation is, do we have the funds to cover the costs? Each year we have a proposed budget before us to run our state effectively and efficiently with rising budget costs that we are always cutting. I do believe this concept is a great idea, but the timing might not be right at this time," said Nardolillo. "I think once we, as a State, are running in better standing, then this concept will be better appreciated fiscally."