About 200, mainly students, cheer plan as governor speaks before the House Finance Committee

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In a rare appearance before the House Finance Committee, Gov. Gina Raimondo on Wednesday brought her case for free college tuition directly to lawmakers. She made it forcefully — and was greeted with cheers and applause from dozens of high school students and others who filled the State House hearing room and overflowed into the corridors.

“This is a game-changer for Rhode Island,” the governor told committee members. “It has the power to change lives.”

Jaislene Vinas, a senior and class president at Central High School, matched the governor for emotion when she testified in support of the governor’s proposal — the Promise Scholarship plan — asserting that “many of my closest peers have turned down the option of college, not because they lack ambition but because they refuse to accept what I call a debt sentence.”

She referred to the crushing student-loan debt many leave college with — in some cases, before they have even earned their degrees.

“We want to be successful, we want to change the world, but we just want a true chance,” said Vinas. “That’s why I urge you to make the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship a reality — for us who dream.”

More than 100 people, many of them students, signed up to testify at the hearing, which began in late afternoon and continued into the evening. Another 70 or so also attended — inside Room 35 and out — bringing the total turnout to nearly 200. No opposition to the plan was voiced through early evening.

Raimondo’s appearance was the latest example of the full-court press she has put on her proposal, which has been met with resistance from some quarters and has received a less-than-enthusiastic reaction from House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who has made elimination of the state car tax, not free tuition, a priority in this session of the General Assembly.

Among other activities, Raimondo has visited schools, lined up the support of mayors from both parties, and made her free-tuition plan a centerpiece of her February business summit.

Raimondo’s proposal would provide free tuition and waive mandatory fees for two years for Rhode Island students in good standing at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island, with benefits offered to URI and RIC juniors and seniors. Students at CCRI could earn their associate’s degrees without charge.

State Education Commissioner Ken Wagner testified that the governor’s plan is part of larger educational reform — a “chance to really anchor” the elementary and secondary public school system in the state.

“We have to think about making a new promise: if you work hard, there’s a seat for you,” whether in college or in a good-paying job straight from high school, Wagner said. “I ask for your support.”

Said Kevin Gallagher, Raimondo's deputy chief of staff: “I hope this can be the start of a conversation.”

Announced in January, the Promise Scholarship plan would be implemented in stages, reaching an annual cost of $30 million in the 2021 fiscal year. Today’s high school seniors would be seniors at that time at Rhode Island’s two four-year colleges. The first year cost, in the fiscal 2018 budget, is pegged at $10 million.

Raimondo spoke of the jobs that Virgin Pulse, GE Digital and other knowledge-based firms are bringing to Rhode Island — jobs that require a college education, which for some low-income families is presently out of reach, given the costs of tuition and the repayment of loans.

"It shouldn't matter if you're rich or poor," Raimondo said. "You should get that chance."

gwmiller@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7380

@GWayneMiller