Massachusetts budget offering universal community college signed into law
On Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a nearly $60 billion budget for 2025 that includes tuition-free community college offered to all state residents.
MassEducate expands upon an existing $24 million program, MassReconnect, which provides free community college to residents 25 and older.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a nearly $60 billion 2025 budget that includes tuition-free community college offered to all state residents.
The budget was signed on Monday. Initially presented by leaders in the Massachusetts Senate, MassEducate expands upon an existing $24 million program, MassReconnect, which provides free community college to residents 25 and older.
To cover the new $75.5 million investment, the Senate plans to use funds from the voter-approved 2022 Fair Share amendment, known as “the millionaire’s tax” for its addition of a 4 percent surtax on income over $1 million.
[RELATED: Kamala Harris wants to make college ‘tuition-free once and for all’]
In a recent interview on GBH News Morning Edition, State Sen. Jo Comerford, the Chair of the Committee on Higher Education, said she believes MassEducate “is a perfect use of fair share. It’s, you know, public money for a public good, like higher education.”
Explaining her support for MassEducate, Comerford discussed the need for Massachusetts to “build back better and stronger and more equitable” following COVID-19. “We need that 21st century workforce to be ready to take on the new challenges. And we need them to be equitably ready, meaning everyone should have access to that opportunity. And that’s what public higher education offers,” she stated.
Citing concerns for the new legislation, the Hildreth Institute, a research center in Boston, said that it believes MassEducate fails regarding economic and “racial equity,” referencing research showing that funding allocation “would starkly favor higher-income” and white students.
Furthermore, Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director and founding member of the Hildreth Institute, is concerned about the inevitable increase in community college enrollment should Gov. Healy approve the proposal. She said that “instruction might be very strained,” especially since MassEducate “invites all students to join.”
When asked by Campus Reform to comment on possible solutions to these issues, Dr. Akman Imboden pointed to a letter written by the Hildreth Institute outlining its recommendations for MassEducate, which include increased funding for instruction and other financial assistance programs specifically designated for low-income students.
“Given that the ‘millionaire’s tax’ is expected to generate over $2 billion, surpassing initial budget estimates of $1.3 billion, we believe the state has the necessary funding to address these gaps and equity issues,” Imboden said.
MassEducate comes as tuition-free college is being discussed at the national level.
President Joe Biden previously outlined plans to cancel the debt of millions of Americans. In 2018, Vice President Kamala Harris posted on X that she wanted to “make college tuition-free once and for all.”
Campus Reform has contacted Gov. Healey’s Office for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
