OLYMPIA — All students in Washington high schools could soon be eligible for a free 13th year of school.
House Bill 2309 would establish the “Washington 13 Free Guarantee,” providing students with up to 45 credits of community or technical college tuition-free.
The guarantee would apply to students regardless of income.
It’s a relatively low-barrier program, but there are a few catches. To take advantage of it, students must:
• Graduate from a public high school in the state;
• Complete the FAFSA or WASFA;
• Attend a college within the region they received their high school diploma;
• Earn the 45 credits within two years; and
• Maintain good academic standing.
On Tuesday, lawmakers passed the bill out of the House committee on post-secondary education with bipartisan support.
By requiring a completed FAFSA, students may be able to realize they are eligible for more than just one free year of college, said the bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Steve Bergquist, D-Renton.
Washington’s financial aid program is one of the most generous in the country, Bergquist said in a public hearing last week.
Still, it is widely underused. Just over 50% of graduating high school seniors completed the FAFSA last year, according to the Washington Student Achievement Council.
Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, said the bill is a step closer to helping all students understand they belong in college.
“As enrollment drops, fewer and fewer students are seeing the value of higher education,” she said. “This bill offers a chance to take a step in a different direction.”
Edmonds College supports the bill.
“Edmonds College constantly strives to meet the needs of students from all backgrounds and serve our community,” spokesperson Karen Magarelli wrote in an email. “HB 2309 promotes an inclusive environment and lowers educational barriers.”
The program would be funded from three main sources: the state’s general fund, the Washington College Grant and the Guarantee Education Tuition account.
The account, known as GET, is a program where parents purchase credits to be used for college tuition that increase in value over time as the state invests the credits. The account has a large surplus that is expected to grow even more over the next decade, Bergquist said.
Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, R-Puyallup, pushed her colleagues to strike the use of account dollars for the initiative.
“I don’t think its a good look for us to fund our magnanimity on the backs of parents who have paid into the GET program,” she said in a committee meeting Tuesday.
Jacobsen’s amendment to not use GET dollars failed.
Another bill, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, would have created the Washington Promise Program, making 90 credits at a community or technical college free for students. The measure, House Bill 2374, failed to make it through committee.
Jenelle Baumbach: 360-352-8623; jenelle.baumbach@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jenelleclar.
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