New York State is making historic higher education investments.
As part of the 2026 budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes free community college for people ages 25 to 55. Not only would it cover tuition costs, but also books, supplies and other fees. Implementing the measure would allow New York to join a legion of states with similar policies.
Jeff Smink, deputy director of The Education Trust New York, predicted it would bolster the growing semiconductor workforce and other high-demand fields.
“To get some of these high-paying jobs, you need a skilled workforce,” Smink pointed out. “I think the investment in community colleges — and SUNY (State University of New York), CUNY (City University of New York) — is going to help get us that workforce, particularly for students of color, students from low-income backgrounds that might not have had these opportunities in the past.”
It is one thing to get into college, but it is quite another to finish. Money is often the reason people do not finish and student loan debt can hold people back from making bigger financial moves. The Education Data Initiative reported New York has around 2.5 million student loan borrowers with nearly $95 billion in student loan debt.
College investments can only benefit people with a strong educational foundation. Smink noted free community college could reduce the number of students who have to take remedial college classes since they did not get the same knowledge in high school. He thinks New York’s budget proposal needs more investment in literacy instruction.
“Part of the problem is students who are getting their teaching certification are not taught how to teach reading aligned with the science,” Smink contended. “There’s some efforts happening there but we’d have liked to see some funding to help SUNY teacher preparation programs align their instruction, so that when teachers get into the classroom they’re already prepared and won’t need any extra support or reteaching.”
New York State has one of the worst literacy rates in the country. National scores for the state’s fourth and eighth grade students show declines in reading and math proficiency which have continued to slip since the pandemic.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.