[S]tanding in front of the Community College of Vermont in Montpelier, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Galbraith unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to offer four years of free tuition at Vermont’s state colleges to all state residents who are accepted into the institutions.
“We reward the well-off with tax breaks while depriving working Vermonters of the opportunities that could change their life,” Galbraith said. “Not if I’m governor. My plan will save ordinary Vermonters $45.4 million by making the wealthy pay their fair share to fund educational opportunities for Vermont high school graduates.”
The plan would grant free tuition to the five state colleges — including Vermont Technical College — while offering free or reduced tuition for University of Vermont students who qualify for Pell Grants.
Galbraith said free tuition would keep more young people in the Green Mountain State. He added that the plan would reduce or eliminate college debt for many, which he said could spur investments in homes and create new Vermont families.
If enacted, the plan would be available to all Vermont high school graduates, roughly 8,000 students.
The $45.4 million required to pay for tuition would come mostly from repealing tax breaks for the wealthy.
Galbraith has identified a handful of tax breaks he vowed to end as governor, totaling $25.4 million in annual state revenue. The largest chunk of tax revenue — $4 million — would come from applying Vermont sales tax to online cloud-based services.
He would get an additional $2 million by scrapping the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive, which rewards businesses financially for staying in the state. Galbraith would instead like to see VEGI money allocated as loans.
Galbraith also estimates that by raising the minimum wage to $15 — a centerpiece issue in his campaign — the state could save $18 million by forgoing earned income tax credits to many Vermonters, who would see their incomes rise enough to become ineligible for the credits.
Asked about the possibility that affluent families could take advantage of the free tuition program, Galbraith asserted that every Vermonter should have access to higher education for free.
“In my view, education is a human right, and we need to make clear that it’s a human right,” Galbraith said. “Therefore, it would apply for everyone, including those that are well-off. We don’t charge wealthy families something to send their kids to public (high) schools, and the same thing applies to our public institutions of higher learning.”
Sue Minter, one of Galbraith’s challengers in the Democratic primary, unveiled her own education plan earlier this month, which would give Vermont high school students the opportunity to attend the Community College of Vermont or Vermont Technical College for free for the first two years.
Minter’s program, called “Vermont Promise,” would offer students schooling for half the current cost of tuition for their final two years.
Galbraith’s proposal closely adheres to one of Bernie Sanders’ major agenda items in his presidential run, when he called for tuition-free public college all across America.
A number of Galbraith’s other proposals line up with Sanders’ rhetoric, including his work to ban corporate campaign contributions and raise the minimum wage.
“In terms of who is actually promoting the Bernie Sanders agenda, I think the positions that I outline are obviously much closer to what Bernie wanted to accomplish,” Galbraith said.