Posted on 04/16/2014 5:41:33 AM PDT by GIdget2004
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam's signature proposal to create a program that would cover tuition at two-year colleges for any high school graduate is headed to his desk after passing the House on Tuesday.
The 87-8 approval comes a day after the Senate approved the legislation 30-1.
Called "Tennessee Promise," the legislation is a cornerstone of the Republican governor's "Drive to 55" campaign to improve the state's graduation rates from the current 32 percent to 55 percent by 2025 to help improve overall job qualifications and attract employers to the state.
"The governor is grateful for the General Assembly's overwhelming support of the Tennessee Promise," Haslam spokeswoman Alexia Poe said in a statement issued after the vote. "It is a bold promise that will make college a reality for more high school graduates."
After graduation from the two-year colleges, students who choose to attend a four-year school will be able to do so as juniors. Florida, Mississippi and Oregon are considering creating similar programs.
Haslam wants to pay for the program, expected to cost about $34 million annually, by using $300 million in excess lottery reserve funds and join it with a $47 million endowment. The state has about $400 million in reserves.
During debate Tuesday, some Republican lawmakers grumbled that the plan is an entitlement program
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Hooray.
And yet there are all kinds of studies over the past couple years about how expanding the pool of kids who go to college is exactly the wrong thing to do, and studies about how useless many colleges have become. This country needs to seriously upgrade its technical school training and tell kids its OK to get a good, decent paying job doing that rather than spending two or four years in college not knowing what to do and getting drunk every weekend, and eventually dropping out.
They have a 32% high school graduation rate?
I proffer that the root problem is not a lack of college opportunities.
The 32% is the college or community college graduation rate; not the high school graduation rate. The article wasn't very clear on that. It that is the community college graduation rate, I don't necessarily see that as a problem. Lots of kids go there to get the first year or two out of the way, then transfer to a four-year college, but never actually 'graduate' from the community college.
I think that it is a great idea.
Where will all the new students get the cash for the books that are over priced?
Or the “other fees”.
Yeah, the kid’s a dunce because he controls curriculum decisions at his local educmacation indoctrination center.
So I guess the teachers are working for free, too? Nope, just hit the taxpayers for more money for ejeekation!
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