Free technical college? Senate Democrats push to expand program to all SC high school graduates

Senate Democrats think they found an education plan that works.

In 2017, a state pilot program offered to pay the full tuition of Kingstree-area high school graduates attending Williamsburg Technical College. Within a semester, the percentage of recent high school graduates attending Williamsburg more than doubled — to 30 percent, according to a fact sheet from the S.C. Technical College System.

This year, the state Legislature allocated $3.9 million to expand the pilot program, allowing graduates of 34 school districts to attend any of the state’s technical colleges for free.

“We are hoping to see the same type of increase in the 34 school (districts) throughout the state,” said S.C. Technical College System President Tim Hardee. He called the results from the Williamsburg pilot program “encouraging,” and thinks it helped convince the Legislature that its investment was paying off.

But Senate Democrats want to take the program one step farther and make technical college free of charge to all S.C. high school graduates.

“This is just the beginning in creating a new model in education,” said Sen. John Scott, D-Richland, who “100 percent” supports the proposal. “Someone has to make that additional investment to get (students) into the workforce.”

Tennessee, Illinois and at least eight other states have a similar program to provide technical or community college to high school graduates, according to an article from U.S. News and World Report.

The proposal could affect the 79,671 students who attended S.C. technical colleges in 2016 — 46 percent of all in-state undergraduates attending an institution of higher learning in S.C., according to data from the Commission on Higher Education.

This wouldn’t be the first time Senate Democrats have pushed for free technical college. In 2017, they sought $76 million per year to fund a similar program, which they see as a crucial tool to boosting the key industries such as manufacturing or education.

“One of the first concerns of industry when they come to South Carolina is whether they have the workforce that’s ready and willing” to perform skilled labor, said Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton.

Though Democrats are enthusiastic about the prospects of free technical college, they will need the support of Republicans, who control which bills get heard in committee and which get a vote.

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, said he wants to reduce the cost of technical college, but does not want to make it free.

“When things are free, they’re devalued,” Grooms said. “I’m more of a proponent of tax credits.”

That’s why, he said, the largely Republican state Legislature increased the amount of tax credits a student can receive. However, he still sees room to work with Democrats.

“If ... some of my Democratic colleagues want to make college free, I know they’ll be for a reduction,” Grooms said.

The proposal is in its early stages. It’s unclear how much the program would cost, where the money would come from or what the fine print would be. The bill itself has yet to be written.

This year, students in only three of the six counties Bright Matthews represents are eligible for free technical college, she said. “We’re hoping, instead of writing a new (law) up, we can just expand it ... I just think this is a win-win for South Carolina.”

While educational and political leaders tout the value of the state’s technical colleges, a recent study ranked them among the worst in the country — a ranking that was heavily weighed down by the comparatively high cost of technical college in the Palmetto State.

The state’s technical colleges suffer from low graduation rates. Only one in seven technical school students who enter technical college graduate in six years, according to Commission on Higher Education data.

But in order to be eligible for free technical college, students must receive mentoring or student services such as financial counseling, according to the fact sheet.

“That would be a facet in increasing graduation rates,” Hardee said. “Once we get them enrolled, we can improve the success rates of students.”

Who’s eligible?

Here are the S.C. school districts currently eligible for the free technical college program, listed in alphabetic order:

• Abbeville
• Allendale
• Bamberg 1 and 2
• Barnwell 19, 29 and 45
• Berkeley
• Chesterfield
• Clarendon 1, 2 and 3
• Dillon 3 and 4
• Florence 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
• Hampton 1 and 2
• Jasper
• Laurens 55 and 56
• Lee
• Lexington 4 (Swansea-Gaston)
• Marion
• Marlboro
• McCormick
• Orangeburg 3, 4 and 5
• Saluda
• Williamsburg

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 4:43 PM.