Dr. Stephen Head, chancellor of Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, remembers joining discussions about free community college during the Obama administration. The conversation stalled, of course, and free community college never came to fruition. So, when President Biden proposed free community college as a part of the Build Back Better infrastructure bill, Head never actually believed the proposal would make it through legislation.
“It’s where we are across the country,” says Head. “If the Democrats propose, then the Republicans say no, and vice versa. When you divide the country like that, [in] a Democrat-run state, students could benefit, [but in a] Republican state, students would not. That’s not right. That’s contrary to our country.”
Dr. Stephen Head
The failure to pass free community college could have been a blessing in disguise, says Dr. Thomas Brock, director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College.
“The red state/blue state divide on something as critical as higher education doesn’t benefit students or the national interest,” says Brock. “It gives us a chance to step back and design a better policy to serve everyone in the country.”
Opposition from multiple sides
The idea doesn’t just face opposition from opposing political halves. Lobbyists for four-year institutions have also reportedly pushed back against the policy, as it might have reduced four-year school revenues.
