Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has proposed a $20 million investment that would make community ... [+]
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has proposed a new program that would make community college free for Massachusetts residents age 25 and older. Healey’s 2024 fiscal year budget, which she filed on Wednesday, includes $20 million in funding for the program, along with a host of other new higher education investments.
Called MassReconnect, the program, which was one of Healey’s proposals on the campaign trail, would cover community college costs, including tuition, mandatory fees, books, and various support services such as student coaching, for as many as 1.8 million residents of the state who have not yet earned a college degree.
“MassReconnect will be transformative for hundreds of thousands of students, for our amazing community colleges, and for our economy,” Healey said, while speaking Wednesday at Bunker Hill Community College.
According to Healey, the program is modeled after similar efforts in Michigan and Tennessee. It’s aimed at the Commonwealth’s residents who are 25 years old and up who either have a high school diploma or equivalent but have not yet earned a college credential, or who have earned a certificate but are interested in earning a degree. It allows for part-time enrollment, so students can work and raise their families while earning their credentials at the same time.
Under the program, eligible students would be able to pursue either high-quality certificates or degrees depending on which will better serve their career goals. The program is designed as a last-dollar-in aid package, meaning it will save total costs by leveraging existing federal and other financial aid available for students.
MassConnect is a policy highlight in Healey’s proposed $55.5 billion state budget, which would increase state spending by more than 4% over the current fiscal year. But it’s not the only investment in higher education and workforce development that the governor is proposing. She has included a 3% increase in public college and university base funding as well $59 million to stabilize tuition and fees at the University of Massachusetts and other public institutions. Her budget also calls for more more money to be spent on higher education capital funding, state scholarships, early college programs and apprenticeships.
In a press release, Healey said, “Workforce shortages have impacted nearly all sectors of our economy, but we have an incredible opportunity before us to train the next generation of workers and increase opportunities for all. The MassReconnect program, as well as the other investments in education and workforce development that we call for in our budget, will be transformative for hundreds of thousands of our residents.”
Although free community college was a major component of President Joe Biden’s original education plan, and was included in early versions of the Build Back Better bill, he was never able to garner the support to make it law, choosing instead to focus on student loan forgiveness. Nonetheless, the states have picked up the cause and some form of free college, albeit with very different requirements and funding levels, is now available in about 30 states.
