My Plan to Make College Affordable

As summer comes to a close, many families are gearing up for the new school year. And if school means college, then covering tuition is likely a huge concern.
 
There are many ways to make college more affordable. You can increase the number of student scholarships and grants, allow parents to save for college tax deferred, or provide incentives to colleges to streamline expenses.
 
But with parents eating through whatever savings they may have and students graduating college more than $30,000 in debt, tinkering around the edges to reduce costs isn't good enough.
 
With this post, I want to focus on my plan to make college affordable.
 
As your State Representative, I will work to expand and bring to the district* successful dual enrollment initiatives, which can cut the cost of higher education by 50 percent.
 
Different than AP or IB courses, dual enrollment allows high school students to earn significant college credits while taking classes on college campuses similar to the program at Massasoit Community College.
 
One of the most successful dual enrollment programs in the country is the Early College High School Initiative, which includes more than 240 high schools serving 75,000 students in 28 states.
 
The outcomes are nothing short of amazing.
 
Ninety-three percent of early college students earn at least some college credits; 56 percent earn more than one year of college credit; and 24 percent of these high school students graduate with an Associate’s degree—all tuition free.
 
What makes these outcomes even more stunning is that the Early College High School Initiative focuses on urban teens, where 79 percent of the students are minority and 61 percent are eligible for free or reduced lunch.
 
My plan: Let’s bring dual enrollment high schools to the 11th Plymouth District for ALL students. District-wide dual enrollment is a strategy that’s working in North Carolina and Texas with outstanding results.
 
A major legislative task will be to make sure that the college credits are transferable, and that there’s funding to cover the cost of the college courses. There are numerous examples of how to make this politically and financially viable.
 
I am the only candidate in the race with a serious plan to make college affordable. I invite you to learn more about my background, experience, and accomplishments. And please review my entire platform for State Representative.
 
I look forward to getting to work on this important initiative. And I hope I can count on your vote in the primary—THURSDAY, September 6th.