A group called Opportunity Maine has a good idea in the form of a proposal to build a citizen’s initiative to highlight the importance of going to college. Whether its specific proposal – a tax credit to repay tuition costs for those who remain in Maine after graduating – is the best way to improve this part of Maine life can be determined during the campaign. For now, it’s enough that the group is taking its idea on the road.

The campaign begins with an undeniable set of facts: Maine has a college-degree rate significantly lower than the region’s average. College degrees are crucial to expanding the knowledge economy that Maine must participate in to thrive. Even after all the scholarships, grants and other discounts, tuition costs are one important reason that more students do not begin or complete their college degrees and may not be able to afford to stay in Maine upon graduation.

The citizen’s initiative is designed to reward college graduates – associate or bachelor’s degree – for working and staying in Maine after graduation. The group plans to gather all of its signatures in the next several months, and along the way describe the economic benefits of raising the number of college graduates in Maine – for starters, they point out the 2004 median additional income for a four-year degree over a high-school diploma was $14,880; for an individual with an associate’s degree, $8,928. It also argues that the idea could help workers who need job re-training but are worried about the cost.

According to economic analyses performed for Opportunity Maine, the public cost of the tuition tax credit would be more than equaled by added tax revenues from higher incomes in just four years, and the entire program could quickly become a net gain for state and local government. In addition, having more college graduates available to work would attract more businesses to the state, increasing opportunity for all residents.

Most states have college-loan forgiveness programs – gubernatorial candidate Barbara Merrill, for instance, is advocating that Maine adopt an Indiana plan begun there in 1990, in which seventh- and eighth-graders sign a pledge that starts them and their families on

a path to college in exchange for eight semesters of tuition at state-university prices. Whether the Opportunity Maine program or one similar to Indiana’s or something else is the best choice for sharply increasing the number of college graduates remains to be seen.

But one way to find out is to look at the citizen’s initiative as an informational campaign, one that should involve the public, educators and economists to compare the many options available to Maine. The only way to have that campaign is to support Opportunity Maine as it gathers signatures and discusses the benefits of Maine spending more money on tuition breaks for state residents.