“I’m a big believer that education ought to be a right, not a privilege,” said Gov. Murphy as he opened a roundtable at Mercer County Community College Thursday, where he unveiled some more details about his free community college tuition plan.

For thousands of students, the state’s 19 community colleges are the entree into four-year institutions, or the working world. But, while it’s not as steep as the cost of a four-year college, it’s still not cheap for struggling students, many of whom still have to hold down jobs and take out student loans to pay.

“I think you heard a whole lot of stories about life challenges, a lot of work, a lot of extending their years in school because they had to work to afford it,” said Murphy. “Those stories overwhelm in terms of the amount of, if you look at the kids, students rather, who are in institutions like this.”

Murphy announced that the goal of free community college for all will be a three-year effort. It will begin with the spring semester of 2019 with $45 million of the $50 million going as a supplemental funding source for students who already qualify for state or federal tuition assistance programs. The other $5 million goes to the colleges to help recruit and retain those students. By the end of the three years, all students will be eligible, regardless of income. For students at Thursday’s roundtable, the program would be a welcome boost.

“I know that it would help so, so many,” said student Jenn Eng. “If I was to go off my own experiences, it probably would have allowed me to go full-time at school instead of working part-time and going to classes part-time, which condenses the timeline of graduation, and you can’t get time back, right? Additionally, it would be much less stressful.”

Jessica Adamo, who works part-time at the college, agreed.

“All these loans, when you get out of school, they kind of build up and you don’t have this great paying job, so I feel like, if school was free, it would be a lot easier, and just going to class would be a lot easier, like a weight isn’t on your shoulders, knowing that once I get out of here, I have all of these loans to pay, so I feel it would be a step in the right direction just for all of us,” she said.

Acting Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis noted that all the students on the panel held down at least one job.

“There’s so many people that think that students don’t work,” she noted, “and the number of you all that are working, while going to school, and just hearing that story and how that can sometimes play a role in being able to really finish your credentials, was wonderful today, so thank you for sharing”

“I think you brought up a great point. For many of the students, the community colleges themselves are the key employer,” added Assemblyman Dan Benson, “and that’s another role that community colleges play for so many of our students.”

But not everyone’s a fan of the program. Republicans say they’d love to pay for everyone’s tuition, but the state can’t afford it. Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean tweeted that “free” community college “isn’t free.”

“Taxpayers always pay the price and frankly,” he tweeted “people in New Jersey pay far too much already.”

Murphy says government can’t cure all your ills but, on its best days, it can put wind in your sails.