By MATT LINDSEY

Superintendents at Potsdam and Canton Central are praising Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to give free SUNY tuition to middle class families, but are concerned about how the governor plans to pay for it.

The plan would apply to SUNY Canton and Potsdam colleges.

According to Cuomo the new initiative will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019.

“This is positive news for families struggling to afford college,” said Potsdam Central Superintendent Joann Chambers. “This will be a huge relief for them.”

Chambers said we have “excellent” state schools in our region but said she was “a bit concerned” about how this would be funded.

“It is a great concept but I want to know details…how is it going to be paid for?” asked Canton Central Superintendent William Gregory.

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne says the governor's call for free tuition for SUNY and CUNY students is in line with legislation that has been championed in the state Assembly for years. Jenne recently switched back to her maiden name, but was previously known as Addie Russell.

"I have long fought to make sure we continue to make sure college remains affordable for families in our state. Free tuition at state colleges is not a novel approach," Jenne said.

Cuomo says New York’s tuition-free college degree program, the Excelsior Scholarship, is “the first of its kind in the nation and will help alleviate the crushing burden of student debt while enabling thousands of bright young students to realize their dream of higher education.”

Cuomo says the program will ensure that students statewide, regardless of their socio-economic status, have the opportunity to receive a quality education and gain skills needed to succeed.

The bill, which was discussed in 2014 by state and local officials, initially included GPA, community service and commitment to live and work provisions.

Any student that fails to meet the conditions set forth in the program would have their benefit turn into a student loan, the provision said.

“I strongly support Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s transformative vision for making public higher education tuition-free for thousands of middle class New York families. This groundbreaking proposal has the potential to make the goal of earning a degree in any one of SUNY Potsdam’s 40-plus majors not only affordable, but achievable, for students and families from across the state,” SUNY Potsdam President Kristen Esterberg said.

Positive News, Questions Remain

Although the financial aspect would be free, Chambers mentioned that students still “have to be accepted into college, work hard and take rigorous courses in school.”

“It’s hard to argue with free tuition,” Chambers said, but she hopes the governor and legislators recognize that schools still need to get students prepared for college.

The financial logistics have not been made clear and educators are playing the waiting game to see if it has impact on their budgets.

“The tax cap is a challenge,” Chambers said. “Our costs will rise more than the 2 percent tax cap.”

Chambers said there are rumblings of changes being considered to the Foundation Aid Formula, noting many of the methods are dated.

Many dynamics go into figuring out the Foundation Aid Formula, some of which are property wealth, income wealth and factors such as students with disabilities.

“Our area has a large amount of tax-exempt properties which impact the taxable property wealth,” Chambers said about the colleges.

She said she is happy Potsdam has the colleges, but pointed out the tax exemption of land creates issues with the formula.

Talks involved a way to compensate schools in situations like Potsdam Central, but it could take more than a year to see changes, she said.

Canton Super Wants Details

“I feel it is a wonderful opportunity for students who normally couldn't afford it to have the experience of college,” he said.

But for Gregory there are many unanswered questions including how would be paid for. “The state budget is projected to be at a deficit,” he said.

Gregory said he believes there should be stipulations to receiving the free tuition such as students needing to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) and making it all the way to graduation.

“There should be a repayment clause for those who do not graduate, other than situations like illness or family emergencies,” Gregory said.

Although some students who are paying for their college may have hard feelings for their peers who are receiving more financial assistance, “there has to be a transition period and changes need to be phased in,” Gregory says.

“Details,” Gregory said, is what educators are now waiting on.

Assemblywoman Jenne Weighs In

Assemblywoman Jenne said she agrees with Assembly Speaker Heastie's call for this to be the year the state sets a timetable for fully funding foundation aid for the state's most economically challenged public schools.

"The state has a legal obligation to provide equity in its school funding policies. This will benefit North Country schools that serve communities with a high percentage of families facing personal economic challenges," Russell said following the opening day of the 240th session of the New York State Legislature.

"Our students' access to quality education cannot and should not be tied to a community's wealth. Our forefathers developed a system of public education designed to provide all students, regardless of their economic status, with equal access to a quality education. We have a moral obligation to follow their lead," Jenne said.

"It is a recognition that we are hurting our state's economic growth by sending so many of our college students into the work world with heavy student debt that limits their spending options as adults," she added.

"It's also an acknowledgement the gap in incomes between those with and those without college degrees has continued to grow wider as we have lost manufacturing jobs in the North Country and around the state and nation," she said.