State Budget Woes Could Prevent Arizona From Offering Free Community College - Alexandra Olgin, KJZZ

President Barack Obama announced a plan called America’s College Promise Friday in Tennessee. The proposal would offer eligible students two years of community college for free. Arizona has 21 community colleges and about half a million students. The Maricopa County Community College District is the biggest in the state and one of the largest in the nation, enrolling half of all community college students in Arizona. State Senator Carlyle Begay is on the legislative education committee. “The biggest obstacle will obviously be the budgetary restraints that it would place on the state," Begay said. "We’re coming off the heels of reducing funding for community colleges by over over 50 percent.” http://kjzz.org/content/87354/state-budget-woes-could-prevent-arizona-offering-free-community-college