Seattle mayor pushing for free community college program

SEATTLE – Seattle’s new mayor is pushing free community college tuition for all of the city’s graduates.

Newly minted Mayor Jenny Durkan on Wednesday signed an executive order for a program that would cover tuition costs for up to two years for all Seattle Public Schools students.

But the order lacked detail, including when the program would start and how it will be funded.

For now, it will work in tandem with an existing program benefiting select high school graduates who get one year of free tuition at one community college.

Durkan said she’s asking city departments to create a full implementation plan by March 8, which will be used to expand the offering across the city.

Tuition costs about $4,000 a year.