The Republican Governor of Tennessee has proposed that 2 years of community college or technical school should be free for all students. Under Governor Haslam’s proposal, free access would not be dependent on grades or finances – think free high school. Even for students who pay little or nothing, eliminating tuition and fees is financially significant, because Pell and some other grants can be used to pay for books, supplies, travel and other costs. In Massachusetts, when PHENOM, and then Governor Patrick, made such a proposal, we were ridiculed as unrealistic radicals. Maybe it takes a Republican 🙂 Read more in this New York Times article.