Obama’s community college plans to make education more available

President Obama’s proposal in the 2015 State of the Union Address to make community college free for eligible students may have come as a surprise to many Americans.

His plan requires approval from Congress, but if implemented, it promises that high school graduates with qualifying grades will receive two free years of community college.

During his speech, Obama made it clear that the government is not currently providing many American graduates with the resources they need to find employment after high school.

“In a twenty-first century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to up our game and do more,” he said.

There are some requirements for students to potentially be eligible for the tuition-free college education, such as a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Although many people support the idea of bringing higher education to more people, the plan has received very mixed reactions from critics who believe that the proposal does not address potential problems.

“It can be done but I think that maybe more money would have to be taken out of the defense fund, or all of the different interest groups to be put into education,” said Jennifer Kline of the CVHS College and Career Center.

The budget of starting the program would be close to $60 billion over the first decade. This would be paid mainly by the federal government, but states would also have to contribute some of the funds.

The financial issues are a common criticism of the plan, as well as whether the colleges would be able to support the expected increase in student populations.

Others still argue that the plan, as it was proposed, may not even fulfill its intended purpose, which is to bring education to more people in order to prepare people for the competitiveness of finding employment.

“Where once you could get a job out of high school, that’s no longer the case. And then where once you could get a job out of community college, that will no longer be the case either,” said Kline.

There are still a lot of questions circulating about the details, but overall, there is a lot of support for the general idea, if not specifically Obama’s plan as it has been laid out. Many people believe that giving people two more years of education is still valuable and gives people more options for their futures.

“We should explore policy changes that can better support working families, including expanding access to community colleges so more people can partake in the American dream,” said Castro Valley’s Congressman Eric Swalwell, in response to Obama’s address.

There are already some similar programs in Chicago and Tennessee that pay for students tuitions if they apply for financial aid and receive a 3.0 GPA.

Obama hopes to make college education a reality for all U.S. students who want it, and that is a tall order from a country that already struggles to maintain the quality of the education system currently in place.

Only time will tell if his plan, or perhaps an improved proposition, will be able to expand opportunities for American citizens.