When I was growing up (not that long ago) a high school diploma was considered a direct route to a good paying job and a foot in the door to the middle class. Today, it's only a first step. Demands in our economy, the rapid introduction of new technologies and other advancements in the workplace have all necessitated additional education beyond high school.
Of course, not every student must earn a 4-year degree to do well in life. But the marketplace demands some form of higher education, whether it's a college degree, credential or additional technical education. Yet state and national support for education has not kept pace with these demands.
As the need for education has grown, we have placed higher burdens on those who can least afford it: students and working families. Many students are leaving college with debt levels that would have financed a home mortgage in previous generations. Still many don't finish college at all because of the cost and myriad of obstacles our education systems put in front of them.
I believe that we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help millions of students in Long Beach, Southern California and throughout America achieve their dreams, by eliminating community college tuition for responsible students.
The America's College Promise Act of 2015, introduced this month by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) would eliminate the tuition cost of community college for qualified students, provided they do their part to maintain good grades and finish quickly. In addition, these bills support growing capacity at our public universities and focusing resources on underrepresented students.
The bills, which build on President Obama's community college call to action earlier this year, also includes funding for technical training programs to meet employer needs and prepare students for higher-paying jobs. It establishes additional grants to further assist minority and low-income students.
If tuition-free community college for responsible students sounds like a radical idea, it really isn't. California's community college system, founded in the early 1900s, was free for generations before the state began implementing fees. California's leaders, more than a century ago, recognized that community colleges were a key to upward mobility. And community colleges continue to provide that for millions of students today.
While community colleges are relatively affordable, when compared to other public and private institutions, many of our students still struggle to finance their educations. Yes, there are many expenses associated with attending college, but tuition is one barrier that we can -- and should -- remove.
It's estimated that the America's College Promise Act would attract an additional 9 million students nationwide who are now considering going to college, but are unable to afford it or believe that college is financially out of reach.
Students benefit, businesses benefit, and society benefits when we have a more educated population. The holder of an associate's degree makes an average of $500,000 more than high school graduates over the course of their careers. And public investment in community colleges pays high dividends -- for every public dollar spent, nearly $7 is returned in higher tax receipts and reductions in public assistance.
I'm proud that the model established by the Long Beach College Promise -- a historic partnership between the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, Cal State University Long Beach and the City of Long Beach to make college more accessible and affordable for students in our city -- has helped shape the national dialogue on community colleges.
But we can't stop at the local level.
It's time to expand the promise of affordable higher education for everyone. It's time for our nation to support free community college for responsible students and embrace this historic expansion of educational opportunities.