UPDATED 4.15.14
The Tennessee Promise Scholarship Act of 2014 passed the state Senate by a 30-1 vote Monday evening. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives Tuesday for a vote.
Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Tennessee Promise” bill is headed to a full House vote.
In February, during his fourth annual State of the State address, Haslam introduced the “Tennessee Promise” bill, a proposal to provide any high school graduate with two years of community college or college of applied technology (TCAT) tuition free.
“This is a bold promise,” Haslam said. “It is a promise that will speak volumes to current and prospective employers. It is a promise that will make a real difference for generations of Tennesseans, and it is a promise that we have the ability to make. Net cost to the state, zero. Net impact on our future, priceless.”
This plan would not only allow students free tuition for two years but their community college courses can transfer to many four-year schools, allowing them to begin their four-year college career as a junior, which results in huge savings.
Tennessee is home to 13 community colleges, the first of which was Columbia State, a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee. For many local high school graduates, Haslam’s bill would make attending a school like Columbia State feasible.
“We are very concerned with the number of students who do not continue their studies beyond high school,” said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president. “The skills and knowledge that an individual will need for success today and tomorrow now exceeds the preparation they have received during their high school education. Within the region served by Columbia State we see the Tennessee Promise as a promise of a pathway for education at a technical or community college that will positively impact the life of the student and the community and state that they reside.”
The Tennesee Promise is part of a bigger initiative–“Drive to 55,” a goal to increase the number of Tennesseans with a certificate or degree beyond high school. According to tn.gov: “In 11 years, 55% of Tennesseans will need a certificate or degree to get a job, but today, only 32% of Tennesseans qualify.”
