New Mexico is unveiling a plan for free college
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is expected to announce a radical new plan Wednesday that would make tuition at public universities and colleges free for all state residents, The New York Times reports.
The proposal, which will require legislative approval, would apply to all 29 of the state's two- and four-year higher education institutions. Family income wouldn't be a factor, and the proposal also includes funds for adults looking to return to school at community colleges. Similarly, there would be no restrictions regarding a student's immigration status. It's projected to benefit around 55,000 students per year and cost somewhere between $25 million and $35 million annually, Carmen Lopez-Wilson, the deputy secretary of New Mexico's Higher Education Department, told the Times.
"This program is an absolute game changer for New Mexico," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "In the long run, we'll see improved economic growth, improved outcomes for New Mexican workers and families and parents."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The plan, however, will strictly cover tuition, not living expenses, and funds would be available only after students draw from existing state aid programs and federal grants, the Times reports. Lujan Grishman's office is also not anticipating any easy path to the proposal's passage — even though the both New Mexico chambers are controlled by Democrats, fiscal conservatives throughout the state reportedly still have a hefty amount of bargaining power. "This will take some high-quality politicking from the governor and others to make it happen," said Tripp Stelnicki, a spokesman for the Democratic governor.
But the Times reports that state legislators have recently shown a willingness to increase spending on public education. Read more at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published