LaTisha Campbell wants her son to go to college. Wants him to get a job that pays well and not have to hustle two or three jobs like she does to pay the bills.

But in order for her son — Marcus, currently a sophomore in high school — to get to college, the family has to figure out how to pay for it. They hope he'll qualify for a Pell Grant, which, if he gets the full $6,000 per year, would almost completely pay for the cost of going to a community college.

But if he doesn't?

"I guess he'd have to take out a loan," said LaTisha, 35, of Warren.

That might all change. If the Michigan Legislature adopts a plan presented Tuesday morning by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she unveiled her budget, Marcus and every other Michigan high school student will have the cost of tuition at a Michigan community college covered by the state. The plan will start in 2021. It's not being funded in this year's budget, even though Whitmer announced it during the budget presentation on Tuesday.

"Michigan was once known for having the best skilled workforce in the nation," Whitmer said. "We're not getting enough students on the path to good-paying jobs. The biggest threat to our state's future and security is failing our next generation. We have a moral obligation to them and a practical one, in our own interests."

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Her goal is to get to have 60 percent of all Michigan residents with some sort of post-high school degree or credential. Michigan currently is around 45 percent.

The free community college plan would cost $80 million to $100 million a year.

Here's how it would work:

In order to be eligible for the free community college, a student would have to graduate from a Michigan high school and live in Michigan for at least a year.

The program would start in 2021.

There is no family income cap on the plan.

The plan is a last-dollar plan, meaning that all financial aid for which a person is eligible — including a Pell Grant -— would be applied to a student's tuition bill, then the state would cover the leftover cost.

The plan would cover costs for three years after graduation, or 60 credits.

There's a $2,500 scholarship available for students going to a four-year school. In order to be eligible, students would have to have a 3.0 grade-point average in high school and family income of less than $80,000 a year.

Another program proposed, Michigan Reconnect, would allow residents age 25 and older to enroll in community colleges, career certificate programs and union apprenticeships at no cost. There’s no income cap and students can attend full-time or part-time. The state's talent investment fund will cover $110 million in cost.

The plan proposed by Whitmer is similar to plans in other states. It drew praise from Sara Goldrick-Rab, the nation's leading free college expert and advocate.

"This program benefits the truly disadvantaged by inducing them to attend college, it helps the current Pell recipients when Pell falls short and it helps the middle class, who data show do need help," she told the Free Press on Tuesday morning. "Making community college free is a form of targeted universalism — it is rightly targeted at the institutions where nearly everyone has financial need."

Programs like Whitmer's proposal are needed because Pell Grants don't help all the need. Not everyone gets the full amount, leaving a shortfall, Goldrick-Rab said.

"The Pell cutoff is absurdly low, just like the poverty line is. Plenty of people are too 'rich' to get the Pell grant and too poor to really afford college," she said. "The needs analysis based on the FAFSA (financial aid form) ignores debt and sets aside many difficult aspects of people's lives. There is a demonstrable squeeze on the middle class in Michigan, and there is nothing wrong with helping those students finish college — in fact there is national evidence that their dropout rates are rising."

Oakland Community College Chancellor Peter Provenzano Jr. told the Free Press the schools supports "Governor Whitmer in our shared vision to make higher education more affordable to all students in Michigan. As the state’s most affordable college, we know firsthand the importance of providing a quality, relevant educational experience. We look forward to learning more about the details of the governor’s plan to make community colleges even more affordable.”

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj