An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal written by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) asks national political parties to agree on free community college tuition.

As excerpted on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators blog, the opinion piece states,

At the state and local level, leaders of both political parties are pursuing solutions to one of America’s most pressing problems: the high cost of college. As the Republican governor of Tennessee and the Democratic mayor of Chicago, we have both launched efforts to improve access to community college and to increase educational attainment. The results of both programs provide proof that it’s possible to find solutions for the country’s most pressing problems—even in this fraught political era. . .

Maryland’s community colleges have responded to the President’s free tuition plan, (see: Maryland Community Colleges Respond to Obama Plan for Free Tuition).

Maryland community colleges have also consistently advocated against legislation that could increase student tuition, such as legislation to create collective bargaining for multiple classes of employees in every community college in Maryland. For more information on last year’s collective bargaining legislation, see Senate Committee Votes Down Community College Collective Bargaining.

For more information on the recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece Let’s Agree on Free Community College (subscription only) and excerpts of the piece on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators blog.