The definition of free, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “not costing any money.” However, if the United States wants to offer free community college to students, money will need to be supplied to community colleges so they can offer free education to students. So, if we want change in our country’s education system, money is ultimately required for change. President Obama’s proposal for “free college” is not, technically, free because it will cost someone money. Therefore, the question arises; who will pay for this highly debated change? The government? The government, according to official U.S government websites, is almost $19 trillion in debt. Or should it be the people? The US taxpayers who are already struggling to pay taxes for public education along with other required taxes.

The history of the United States education system plays an important role in the discussion if community colleges should be free. Education first began at home with the child’s parents being their teacher. However, there came a time where majority ruled that a public education system was necessary. Soon enough, public schools were popping up across the nation in cities that could afford them. Then, “education crusaders” Horace Mann and Henry Barnard began demanding free schooling for every child in the United States. The decision regarding when free schooling is cut off for students was decided by whether the student could survive in the labor market on the education they were given alone. Fifty years ago, a high school diploma could allow a person to find a job that supplied them enough money to survive. However, a high school diploma simply isn’t enough to survive in the labor market today.

In January, President Obama announced his $60 billion community college proposal that allows two free years of community college for students that meet a set of requirements. The requirements include: the student must be enrolled at least halftime, must maintain a 2.5 GPA, must make steady progress towards completion and the student cannot have a AGI (adjusted gross income) above $200,000.

I emailed Senator Richard J. Durbin to ask him his opinion on President Obama’s new proposal and what effects he thinks it will have on the economy.

“President Obama’s proposal would give motivated students a path to receiving a solid educational foundation without the debt. Community colleges provide a springboard for students who wish to continue their education and quality job training programs to help students find good paying jobs.

Even more, community colleges have always been a more affordable, higher quality alternative to for-profit colleges. Sadly, many students are steered toward for-profit colleges which overcharge, saddle students and their families with crushing debt, and hand them worthless degrees.

As I continue to work on better oversight over the for-profit industry, I support community colleges as better alternative to these schools. We need to find ways to make quality postsecondary options accessible to all those who want to achieve their dreams.”

The new proposal for free community college has some serious pros and cons and whether its pros outweigh its cons, or if its cons outweigh the pros, is hard to tell. The fact that Obama’s proposal isn’t necessarily “free” may or may not outweigh the fact that a high school diploma can no longer allow a person to survive in the labor market. However, whatever path the United States education program is going down, I think it’s safe to say that we all want a higher educated, yet financially stable America.