Northern Essex Community College Prepares for ‘Free’ College After Gov. Signs $57.8B Budget

Northern Essex Community College President Lane A. Glenn. (WHAV News photograph.)

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Gov. Maura T. Healey cemented free community college and free public bus rides Monday when signing the late $57.78 billion state budget, but vetoed $317 million from the spending plan.

The plan lawmakers sent her 10 days ago increased state spending by about $1.97 billion, or 3.5%, over last year’s budget and used just more than $1 billion in one-time revenues to support the outlays during a time of volatile state tax collections. A projected increase in revenues from the state’s new millionaire’s tax is helping the state to boost spending.

In a statement Monday, Northern Essex Community College President Lane A. Glenn said, “We are thrilled to support the ‘MassEducate’ program. This builds upon years of work by leaders across Massachusetts to make higher education more affordable and more equitable.” He added, “Students can now pursue degree and certificate programs without the fear that financial hurdles will slow their progress. The benefits will be felt throughout the Commonwealth and especially here in the Merrimack Valley as these students go on to fill critical, in-demand jobs in our workforce.”

To be eligible, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students must also have earned a high school diploma or the equivalent, enroll in a minimum of six credits per semester and have physically resided in Massachusetts for at least one year, among other requirements.

Pushed by Senate President Karen E. Spilka, free community college, starting this fall, will cost the state $117.5 million, covering tuition and fees for students.

“I’m the product of public higher education. And I believe that Massachusetts has, unfortunately, for too long, failed to fund public higher education at a level that it deserves and should be funded at,” Spilka said recently.

Besides free community college, Healey signed off on budget policy measures authorizing free rides on regional transit agencies and legal online Lottery sales to pay for a permanent Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program that launched during the pandemic with federal dollars.

The biggest veto was in the MassHealth managed care account where Healey cuts $192.3 million, saying the remaining $5.9 billion in the account was the “amount projected to be necessary due to anticipated utilization, timing of rate updates and new revenues.”

Among 46 states whose fiscal year began July 1, Massachusetts was the last one to put an annual spending plan in place, according to data tracked by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Lawmakers and Healey previously agreed to an interim budget covering state expenses for about a month.

State House News Service contributed to this report.

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