Rep. Crisanta Duran,
D-Denver
When Hillary Rodham Clinton rolled out her college-affordability plan in Colorado Monday, she turned to two of the statehouse’s most prominent advocates on the subject — House Democratic leader Crisanta Duran of Denver and Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood — to make her case.
Clinton , called the New College Compact, in New Hampshire earlier this month. New College Compact,” aimed at tackling the high cost of a college education, making grants and low-interest loans more accessible, strengthening GI educational benefits and expanding the AmeriCorps program, as well as providing community colleges tuition-free. The plan is .
Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, speaks at a press conference on closing tax haven loopholes in offshore accounts earlier in the 2015 legislative session. Had the bill passed, the tax windfall would have been used to fund education. (Photo by Joey Bunch/The Denver Post)
“Coloradans recognize the remarkable value of a college education. But itap the means to get there, to get in school and to finish, that is the major obstacle as tuition costs skyrocket and families are left squeezing their budgets to pay for it,” Pettersen, chairwoman of the House Education Committee, said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign. “Hillary’s plan offers thousands of Coloradans the opportunity for a higher education, a better paying job and a higher standard of living.”
Pettersen during the last session, including one to help middle-class families save for college. passed the House, where Democrats have the majority, and died in a Republican-led committee in the Senate.
Duran fought for the passage of the Pathways to Technology Early College High Schools program in the last session. allows students as young as ninth-grade to take science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to participate in “p-tech schools” that combine high school and college courses and gain workplace educational experiences. Students can then graduates ffrom high school with an associates degree in applied science.
Duran introduced Clinton in Denver earlier this month when the candidate gave her first Colorado campaign speech.
“Hillary Clinton’s college plan renews a compact with Colorado families to make college affordable and tackle the crushing burden of debt,” Duran said in a statement Monday.
“Under her plan, Colorado families could save thousands of dollars, and student debt holders would see relief.”
