Kentucky’s Republican governor has nixed free community college, at least temporarily, over concerns that the law was poorly written.
“I share the goals of the legislators who supported House Bill 626,” Governor Matt Bevin wrote. “However, there were hastily written and overly broad provisions included in House Bill 626 that should not be enshrined in statute. The Work Ready Scholarship provisions outlined in House Bill 626 do not permit funding to be targeted based on true need and, with limited funding, may leave behind those students with the greatest need.”
The veto doesn’t mean that extra scholarship funding has been stripped from Kentucky higher education.
“By delaying the work-ready parts of the budget, Bevin also cut the $9.4 million that would have been used to fund the scholarships this year. However, $15.9 million remains to fund those provisions in 2017-18. The program will be funded through the state’s lottery,” Ashley A. Smith wrote for Inside Higher Ed.
That makes a $25 million program a $15 million program.
Supporters of the bill will take the time to rework the plan into something more politically palatable to Gov. Bevin.
Bevin has come under fire for reducing higher education funding, along with many other state agencies, to fill a budget hole from the state’s unfunded pension liabilities.
Bevin’s veto is the first to come from Republican opposition to free college. Other governors, such as Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Haslam, have embraced free community college as a way to keep young people from leaving the state. By investing in human capital and preparing students for skilled work, the argument goes, the state makes an investment that turns a profit and avoid brain drain.
Community college, however, lags behind its promises. Completion rates are underwhelming, with only 20 percent of their students earning a degree within three years. Politicians have billed community college as a low-cost alternative to a four-year college, but community college hasn’t been a stepping stone toward a bachelor’s degree. For that to happen, community colleges will have to change their target audience who tend to be older and not pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
With his veto, Bevin might not realize it, but he’s questioning the presumptions of politicians who push free community college. Before dedicating such funds, those schools will need to show results beyond their rhetoric.
