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Alternet reports on eduction reform in Tennessee.
The Tennessee House and Senate have approved a measure that allows for two free years of tuition at community colleges or technical schools for all the state's high school graduates. The proposal not only has the backing of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, it was based on his idea.
Moreover, the legislation passed by an overwhelming majority. The state's House of Representatives voted in favor of the legislation with a 87-8 margin.
When the plan, called Tennessee Promise, becomes law, [it] should provide free higher education for about 25,000 students in the state beginning in 2015. It will only benefit incoming freshmen. College sophomores attending two year schools in 2015 will not be able to participate in the plan, but will still be eligible for other state financial aid programs.
The estimated cost of the program is $34 [million] annually. Money will be transferred from the proceeds of the Tennessee Lottery to create an endowment for the program.
A similar proposal in 2007 failed.
In 1960, California was the first state to suspend college tuition. After President Reagan's cuts, the state dropped that program in 1984. Despite that, California's public colleges still have the lowest tuition rates in the country.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @02:16PM
As someone who is currently in college after a 15yr break, I can say textbook costs have come way down in that time. When I first attended college, in the mid-90's, the campus bookstore was pretty much one's only option for textbooks. If you could even get your hands on a used textbook there, the campus bookstores seriously inflated the prices.
These days websites like Amazon have used copies of just about any textbook imaginable at a fraction of what you can buy them for at brick and mortar stores around campus. There is even an option to rent the book these days for even less. In the odd chance that I am forced to buy a "new" textbook, I can still find it online significantly cheaper than anywhere around campus. I usually have to spend around $200 semester on books at most.