Bryant Seeks to Pay for Community College for Some

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Gov. Phil Bryant is pushing a $3 million plan to pay for community college for students who earn a technical diploma in high school.

The Republican says Mississippi needs to increase the number of skilled manufacturing workers in the state.

The details of the proposal are still being worked out. The Bryant administration isn’t sure yet whether it would require the graduates to take technical classes in community colleges, or allow them to pursue a traditional academic path as well.

The proposal looks somewhat like efforts in Mississippi and elsewhere to make community college free for many recent high school graduates. Local governments and private donors are already paying tuition in 26 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. A bill to make that program statewide failed in 2014’s Legislature.