My Turn: Free community college in Arizona if I'm elected governor

Universal community college. It’s an idea whose time has come. The best way to create jobs is to invest directly in workers.

My proposal to provide universal community college for Arizonans seeking a degree or certificate will create thousands of high-wage jobs. The proposal is key to developing the high-skilled workforce that Arizona needs to attract and support the high-wage economy of the future.

As a teacher and professor, I’ve seen how a good education can turn around a young kid’s life. I also know it firsthand. After the U.S. Army, I got a college education and a passion to help working and middle-class kids climb the ladder of opportunity.

Community colleges get no state funding

But Gov. Doug Ducey’s policies have created an education crisis. Our schools have the lowest funding in the country, and state support for most of our local community colleges has been completely eliminated. Rising student debt is crushing Arizona’s middle-class families.

While Arizona’s university system gets most of the attention, most high school students begin their postsecondary aspirations at a community college, particularly in under-served and rural communities.

It’s where graduates of Franklin Police and Fire High School get their credentials to become police officers or firefighters. Where radiology technicians and licensed practical nurses get their training. Where assembly line workers learn new skills that allow them to move into precision manufacturing jobs.

It’s where education and industry work together to identify the jobs of the future and develop the training necessary to provide a skilled workforce.

This is an economic investment

Two-thirds of future jobs will require some type of postsecondary education, with many of those jobs in high-skilled careers that don’t require a four-year degree but may require a vocational or technical certificate.

Community college provides an opportunity for Arizonans whose jobs have been displaced to retool and begin rebuilding their lives. And people who earn an associate’s degree or certificate earn more than people with a high school degree. Households with a college education will make over $1 million more than their counterparts with only a high school education over the course of their lifetimes.

The idea is simple. Invest in Arizonans to complete an associate’s degree or certificate in two years. The degrees should lead to entrance in a university, and the certificates should focus in high-demand, high-skill areas. These skilled workers then enter the workforce without a suffocating debt burden and are able to contribute back to Arizona’s economy for the rest of their careers.

After an initial investment to help Arizonans get an education, this proposal pays for itself as more people are able to fill and create high-wage jobs.

Other states have similar initiatives

The proposal is a shared commitment between the state investing in students and students themselves having skin in the game. Students must pay for living expenses and commit the time and energy to stay on track to complete their degree.

New York, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, Montana and Oregon – many of these states led by Republican governors – have passed free community college initiatives. Many more states will follow suit and will lead the way in attracting and developing a diverse, high-skill, high-wage economy. Arizona cannot be left behind.

Once two-year degrees and certificates are accessible to all Arizonans, we will begin opening the doors to our four-year public universities.

Big ideas like these are the only way to make Arizona competitive, dynamic and to serve all Arizonans, not just some. It’s time to take the next step forward in Arizona to build a better future for our state and our people.

David E. Garcia is a fourth-generation Arizonan, Democrat and ASU professor running for governor. Follow him on Twitter, @dg4az.