How free community college program would be paid for in Massachusetts
BOSTON - Governor Maura Healey has been on a tour of sorts this week touting her $55.5 billion budget proposal. It's now in the hands of the state legislature.
A major headline hitting the airwaves and covering the front pages is over her proposal for free community college. The MassReconnect program would allow anyone 25 and older, without a college degree, take classes for free.
Governor Healey said the program could help 1.8 million people in the state further their education.
"This program brings these adults back into workforce training opportunities," Healey said Wednesday.
Pam Eddinger is the President of Bunker Hill Community College. It's one of 15 community colleges in the state. Each of them worked together to draft the proposal Healey adopted.
"When it is sustained, it will be a powerful way of lifting communities and making the economy more vibrant," Eddinger said. "This is about opportunity costs. It is not every day that students working multiple jobs every day, bringing up family, are able to pull out that much money to train for a new job."
As it stands now, MassReconnect will cost roughly $20 million and is part of the $1 billion new revenue stream from the Fair Share Amendment. It is also known as the "Millionaire's Tax." A 4% surtax on individuals making more than a million dollars a year. Voters approved the Fair Share Amendment as a ballot initiative last November.
The Raise Up Massachusetts Coalition was a major driver behind that ballot initiative and had mixed feelings about the Governor's budget.
"There is some positive news and some negative news," said Harris Gruman of the Raise Up Massachusetts Coalition.
Gruman pointed out that the Governor's tax plan provides nearly $400 million in tax deductions through capital gains and estate tax breaks, to the same group of people impacted by the millionaire's tax. It is money he felt could go toward bigger and better programs.
"That's a big chunk of the money we are hoping to get from the Fair Share Amendment and from the same people it is now getting back to," said Gruman. "That is a very ironic and unfortunate decision."
