We educate children to take on the future, agreed? That shouldn’t mean they should have to take on four years of crushing college debt for a degree that might not support the loan payments, a new family and a mortgage. 

Colorado students graduated college in 2018 with an average of $25,500 against them for a four-year degree. That’s not far off price and more of the monthly expenses of a brand new car for a college graduate. You only hope those college memories last. (They don’t.) 

The high price of higher education is part of the reason only about 4 in 10 Coloradans have a degree, even though more than 91% have a high school diploma.

You can’t say 60% are taking the road less traveled, though our state education dollars do very little to pave their way.

That’s why P-Tech is an idea that’s long past due, even though it turns 5 this year.

In 2015 Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools bill, a public-private partnership to secure high-skill jobs for students who aren’t interested in or can’t afford traditional colleges. They’re backed by employers looking to help train and employ students, the rare and elusive win-win, if you ever saw one.

Seven P-Tech schools today are giving 507 students a degree, job experience and a few bucks to spend or save.

“The four-year degree is not a good fit for everybody,” Sen. Mike Foote, a Democrat from Lafayette, told fellow senators at a committee hearing I was plugged into recently.

The P-Tech program allows students to graduate high school with an associate’s degree from a community college, while working with an employer in their field of study. They get free tuition, a paycheck and a head start on a career. 

Senate Bill 131 would set aside $2 million next year to support school districts that choose to provide the program.

“I think a lot of districts recognize the value of it, but are they going to be able to afford it and put it in their budget,” Foote said.

P-Tech is a “different solution for different kids,” said the bill’s co-sponsor, Senate Republican leader Chris Holbert of Parker.

One of the sharpest knives in the government drawer, Holbert got straight C’s in school.

“Moving around a lot, dyslexia, there were challenges for me,” he remembered. “But when I found things I was really interested in, if I could do them, if I could see them, if I could hear them, I learned very quickly.”

Even supporters worry there’s not enough money left in the state budget to cover it this year.

Holbert conceded the question of a couple of million bucks in a $32 billion budget, at a time the governor is asking to put about $200 million a year into full-day kindergarten.

“Can we afford to do this good thing this year? I hope so,” Holbert said.

The answer will come from the state budget, but parents worried about their non-bookish kids’ future or insurmountable college debt should hope so, too.

Tracy Arledge, administrator of the Warrior Way P-Tech program at Central High School in Grand Junction, measures the cost in lives.

“P-Tech students are able to carve out a focused path that leads to an associate’s degree or an industry certification that is life-changing for many of our graduates and their families,” she said.

Sen. Nancy Todd, a Democrat, had planned to hammer on the cost of the bill, but she yielded.

“This is in investment,” said the former teacher  from Aurora. “We know education – and quality education – is very expensive. What we’ve tried to do is bargain-basement education and expect great results. If we want good results, it costs more money.”

Money is also the challenge for Sen. Tammy Story, a Democrat from Littleton, and her legislation, Senate Bill 31.

The pilot program it creates would encourage institutions of higher learning to work together to find out how to get students into programs that support high-demand, good-paying jobs.

“It’s clear there’s a need for more skilled workers here in Colorado,” Story said. “The construction field is in desperate need of carpenters, welders, plumbers and electricians. Workers are traveling here from other states because Colorado can’t provide the skilled workforce.

“This bill is to allow institutions to collaborate in order to get students there, keep them there, graduate them and ensure they have a sustainable future – the whole pathway.”

The program incentivizes schools to knock down barriers like financial aid, housing or food insecurity, as well as support mental and behavioral health.

Story recognized what she was up against with the bill’s original $20 million price tag, so she amended it to $1 million, “just to get this off the ground.”

It passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Republican Sens. Paul Lundeen of Monument and Owen Hill of Colorado Springs in opposition.

In a Saturday night text exchange, Lundeen explained his split vote.

“Great education policy is about students and connecting them to the opportunities they desire and our economy needs,” said the rising Republican star. “Sadly, too often legislators bring wish lists with huge price tags that are about systems and not students.”