The White House uploaded a video on Facebook Thursday evening, in which President Obama announced that he proposes to offer a free community college education for two years for those who are “willing to work for it,” and expressed hopeful expectations that Congress would be supportive of the proposal.
“I think everybody understands [education] is the key to success for our kids in the 21st century,” President Obama stated in the video. “But what we also understand is that it’s not just for kids—we also have to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to constantly train themselves for better jobs, better wages, and better benefits.”
Though the White House did not reveal details on how much this proposal would cost, the details are expected to be released along with the 2016 budget proposal in February. Experts predicted such a program may cost “tens of billions of dollars,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
75 percent of the funds would be taken care of on a federal level, and state funds would need to cover the rest to help pay for the tuition for those who are eligible.
"This will basically make community college like high school in terms of access,” David Baime, the vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges, told the Wall Street Journal. “This is a proposal of historical proportions and could dramatically increase access to community college.”
In a post on the White House blog, the administration cited that 30 percent of jobs will require “some college or an associate’s degree” by the year 2020, and that the President’s proposed program would “benefit roughly 9 million students each year.”
More details on the proposal are expected to be released on Friday when President Obama visits Pellissippi State Community College, located in Tennessee.
