Tennessee on the verge of guaranteeing 2 years college to high-school grads

Tennessee Gov. William Haslam has proposed that his state use lottery funds to provide high-school graduates with two free years of education at community or technical colleges.

First announced in February, the proposal now appears to be on track for approval having won support from several of Haslem’s Republican colleagues in the state general assembly.

Called “Tennessee Promise,” Haslam’s plan would allow high-school graduates to attend an in state technical or community college without having to pay any tuition or associated fees. The funds would come from newly created endowment using money from the lottery’s reserves.

It’s estimated that the plan would cost about $34 million each year.

The state currently has about 80,000 community college students, evenly divided between full-time and part-time students, according to the American Association of Community Colleges.

“As we encourage more Tennesseans to continue their education, we know we have to remove as many barriers as possible,” Haslam said during his State of the State address in February. “Cost is often the biggest hurdle to furthering education.”

Some Democrats in the state oppose the proposal, saying it would take away funds from other currently existing scholarship models.