Lawmaker wants to make community college free for Nevada students

Free community college might be on the horizon for Nevada students as state Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, plans to submit a bill draft request patterned after the Tennessee Promise Program.

“One of the things we’re seeing is that, when students get to the community college, if they have a lot of expenses associated with school, they get full-time jobs and don’t focus on school,” Denis said. “If we want them to graduate, we have to find ways to get them to focus on school, rather than to focus on work.”

While some might balk at the idea of free community college, Denis said the state either makes an investment now or will pay for it later.

“I think we have to decide if we want to make an investment in our workforce,” he said. “We’ve made an investment in economic development to get businesses to come here. We’ve got to have the workforce for them, or they won’t stay here.”

Tennessee’s program, which includes both scholarships and mentoring, provides two years of tuition-free attendance at a community or technical college to residents of the state. The scholarship covers tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship or state student assistance. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, if all of the other sources of financial aid combined do not cover the price of tuition in Tennessee, students there receive a Promise Scholarship for the remaining amount.

Denis is waiting on the bill’s language to be finalized, but his proposal comes after Gov. Brian Sandoval unveiled the priorities outlined in his proposed budget during Tuesday’s State of the State address. Sandoval announced his budget, which includes $115 million of new investments in the Nevada System of Higher Education, with some priorities mirroring those of the NSHE and the Southern Nevada Forum.

A “promise” program, however, was not among those priorities.

“Whether it goes or not depends on whether we have the money,” Denis said.

He said his proposal will ask the Legislature for $4 million to $5 million over the next biennium to establish a pilot program at the College of Southern Nevada.

“We can see how it works and then come back in two years to see if it is something we want to expand,” Denis said. “It’s not a huge amount, but every little bit counts when we get up there (Carson City). We’re going to get as much money as we can.”

To be eligible for the program, Denis said, a student will have to be a Nevada resident who graduates from an eligible state high school or home school program by the age of 19. They will have to attend two mandatory meetings each semester, complete eight hours of community service and maintain a certain grade-point average.

They also have to attend for 12 credits a semester. The Silver State Opportunity Grant, Nevada’s first need-based grant, requires students to take 15 credits at a time.

“That makes a huge difference for community college students,” Denis said.

He said CSN has provided him with data that has been helpful in crafting the bill draft request.

Other states have followed the Tennessee plan, including Oregon and Minnesota, where similar programs are in place. The Kentucky Legislature passed a bill to establish the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program, which will begin in the 2020-2021 school year. With Denis’ bill draft request, Nevada joins 11 other states that have introduced similar legislation.

“I think it should be a nonpartisan issue,” he said. “If we’re serious about diversifying the economy, we have to have the diverse workforce that will attract new business.”

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.