The plan offers free tuition to hundreds of thousands of middle- and low-income students. College presidents and student leaders Tuesday praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to make public colleges and universities tuition free for students from families with income of $125,000 or less. Republican state senators, however, raised concerns about how the program would be paid for and what would be asked of students. One local senator slammed the plan as a pander to the “progressive far left.” Cuomo, who rolled out the proposed Excelsior Scholarship as the first on his State of the State road show, cited the challenges students face in affording college and the high burden that comes with the average debt load of $30,000 for students leaving State University of New York schools. “The debt is so high it’s like starting with an anchor tied to your leg,” Cuomo said in announcing the plan alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in New York City. Sanders said the “revolutionary” plan, if approved by state lawmakers in New York, could “reverberate around the country” and send a message to young kids that college is achievable no matter their family’s income. College presidents and student leaders at schools in and around the Capital Region said they were excited about the announcement — even if they awaited more details. SUNY officials, Chairman H. Carl McCall and Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, in a joint statement said the proposal “takes college affordability to a dramatic new level.” Even U.S. Education Secretary John King, former New York education commissioner, got in on the praise with a statement applauding Cuomo for “expanding the doors of opportunity” to more New Yorkers. Schenectady County Community College President Steady Moono said he knows of students that weren’t able to re-enroll for spring classes this year because even a few hundred dollars were too difficult to absorb in tight personal budgets. Some students work full-time jobs to help pay tuition at SCCC. “I think this becomes a critical game-chan