The solution should have been, and still should be, fixing access to schools at the K-12 level. I'm a huge proponent of school choice, but unfortunately that usually ends up just meaning wealthier people get to choose and poorer people get stuck with whatever has bus service.

So my solution is:

1. get rid of school buses entirely in larger cities
2. require cities in larger schools to ensure mass transit exists to all schools in the city
3. provide free transit passes to all students in the city
4. allow students to select their schools with the guidance of a school counselor if parents choose to not get involved
5. allow schools to offer apprenticeship programs during the last two years of K-12 school in lieu of a college-track program
6. allow college debt to be discharged in bankruptcy

This would hopefully do a few things:

• give kids some control over their education
• provide flexibility for kids who decide they college isn't for them
• allow a reset of college ends up not working out for them

The goal shouldn't be getting as many kids into college as possible, but preparing kids for the workforce and post-education life. College is certainly a good path for many, but also it's not for everyone, and the education system should reflect that.