PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A college-for-all idea that sparked Democratic voter enthusiasm during the presidential race could now be tested in the smallest state.
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo said she is pushing to make Rhode Island the first state to guarantee free access for every student who wants to go to college. The idea of expanding free public education beyond high school catapulted into the national discourse during Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Democratic presidential campaign, and is now being considered seriously by states including New York.
“As a country we have to start asking ourselves, ‘Isn’t it the right thing to do now?’” Raimondo said in an interview Friday. “What’s the magic of 12th grade? Once upon a time, that’s what you needed to get a job. Those days are long gone and vanishing quicker every day.”
At a cost she described as a $30 million “drop in the bucket” of Rhode Island’s $9 billion budget, Raimondo’s proposal would give in-state residents two years of free tuition at public colleges. Details were released Thursday when Raimondo submitted her annual spending plan to state lawmakers. It would need approval from the legislature, which has the nation’s second-largest Democratic majority.
Republican leaders are calling it another costly entitlement. Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who has prioritized tax cuts, called it a “laudable goal” but hasn’t endorsed it. He said it will have to be vetted by a finance committee.
News of the idea quickly spread among high school students and “people are excited,” said 18-year-old Rachel Berson, a senior at the suburban North Kingstown High School, which sends many graduates to the nearby University of Rhode Island. But while cost is a consideration for Berson and her family, so is her desire to study elsewhere.
“The reason I wanted to go out of the state is just for a new perspective, new experiences, just to learn a little bit more about the world,” she said.
