Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther's proposed budget floats cutting funds from Columbus Promise, despite the mayor's commitment earlier this year to add an additional $10 million to the free tuition program.
Ginther's proposed budget zeroes out the annual investment in the program, which has benefitted hundreds of students. City Council President Shannon Hardin told WOSU that the city council will amend the budget proposal to fund the Columbus Promise program anyway.
"Council will do its part to uphold the promise. The name of the program was not chosen lightly. The promise is a guarantee," Hardin said.
The Columbus Promise program gives free tuition at Columbus State Community College to Columbus City School students who graduate and attend the two-year college. In addition to the promised $10 million investment announced in February, Ohio State University announced a new program this year called Buckeye Bridge, which gives CSCC students who graduate with an associate's degree free tuition at OSU.
Jennifer Fening, Ginther's deputy chief of staff, told WOSU in an email this year's budget was developed in a challenging financial climate and focuses on safety and stability while making important investments in safety, housing, youth programming and violence prevention. She said the budget also avoids laying off city employees or tapping into the rainy day fund.
"Columbus Promise certainly remains a priority for future budget years, and we will continue to work with public and private sector partners to identify a sustainable path forward," Fening said.
Fening said the program cost $7 million in the last five years. The overall budget is more than $1 billion.
Fening pointed to Ginther's statement at the introduction of the budget, which says "things are happening in Washington, in the statehouse and in our economy that require us to proceed with an extra degree of caution.” She said these impacts went beyond what the city anticipated as recently as February, when Ginther made the announcement for $10 million in additional funding for the program.
The Columbus Promise program is funded by public and private funds. Hardin told WOSU this includes a new donation of $100,000 from Google's parent company Alphabet.
A spokesman for Columbus State Community College said in a statement the college is grateful for the city's support of Columbus Promise. Since the program's inception, the number of students from Columbus City Schools who go on to attend college at Columbus State has doubled.
"We remain committed to Columbus Promise and will engage with city leaders as the city’s budget process continues," the statement said.
Hardin, who first spearheaded the program years ago, said the budget proposal excluding funding for the Columbus Promise and making other reductions to things like homeless shelters angered him.
"I was first disappointed, but then pretty frustrated and pissed," Hardin said.
Hardin said the project affects a lot of people, many of whom are students and parents who are trying to make plans for a college education and are banking on the free tuition program. He said participation in the program in recent years has grown from around 300 students to more than 900 recently.
"It can be my baby, but now this thing is a teenager. It's about to go off to college itself, and so it has many different folks who consider it theirs," Hardin said.
Hardin agrees that the city is facing a tighter budget year than in the past, largely due to the end of federal funding from programs like the American Rescue Plan Act.
Like Ginther, Hardin said the city faces tough decisions, but cutting the Columbus Promise initiative won't be one of those.
"There is under no circumstance that I think it would be acceptable for us not to live up to literally our promise to our kids," Hardin said.
When asked, Hardin didn't say directly whether the proposal shakes his confidence in Ginther. Hardin says a tight budget calls for "real leadership."
"The mayor put his budget forward, which he is statutorily required to do, and now the ball is in the council's court and we will take it and do our responsibility, which in my opinion will be to make it better," Hardin said.
Hardin didn't rule out a run for mayor in August. Ginther has already announced he is running for re-election in 2027, meaning Hardin could challenge the three-term incumbent.
Columbus City Council will hold hearings and consider budget amendments before voting on a final plan early next year.
