R.I. legislative leaders divided on free college tuition initiative

DURING THE ANNUAL Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce legislative luncheon Wednesday, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed expressed opposing views of the Rhode Island Promise initiative, a proposal that would provide two years of free tuition to college students who maintain at least a 2.0 GPA at the state’s public institutions. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
DURING THE ANNUAL Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce legislative luncheon Wednesday, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed expressed opposing views of the Rhode Island Promise initiative, a proposal that would provide two years of free tuition to college students who maintain at least a 2.0 GPA at the state’s public institutions. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

(Updated 6:40 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island legislative leaders on Wednesday revealed an early divide over a proposal that would provide two years of free tuition to college students who maintain at least a 2.0 GPA at the state’s public institutions.

The program, called Rhode Island Promise, is an initiative of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, who has said it will help families pay for the college, keep talented graduates in-state after graduation and encourage more students to attend and graduate with a degree on time.

Included in the governor’s fiscal 2018 budget, the program is estimated to cost $30 million on full implementation. It is designed to begin in years three and four for full-time students at the state’s four-year colleges, and for the first two years at Community College of Rhode Island.

In the annual Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce legislative luncheon, held at the Rhode Island Convention Center, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, diverged on the program.

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Mattiello said he had concerns the state was going to be an “outlier” in creating such a unique program, and emphasized that greater needs lie in the K-12 education system.
He said the three public institutions – CCRI, University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College – were “at capacity right now.”

“I’m not sure how the free tuition helps get our students through there quicker,” he said. “I’m always concerned when we’re first on an initiative that spends money. We don’t have the strongest economy.”

He said the state should be cautious in being an “outlier” in any area.

Paiva Weed, by contrast, enthusiastically supported the tuition proposal, saying the state’s investment in education needs to be “Pre-K to 14.”

The state has made significant investments in education in recent years, she said, including free PSAT exams. But in many cases, students still think college, or advanced training, is out of reach.

“A lot of students don’t know that college of any kind, or advanced training, is something that’s available to them,” Paiva Weed said. “Even if they qualify, they don’t think they can afford it. They may not have had a parent who went to college.”

If the state approves the program, students will get the message soon after they enter high school that a college degree is a real possibility.

“It is important we provide an opportunity and a vision. Quite honestly, it’s not enough for a high school degree,” she said.

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