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Home / Washington Business - May/June 2005 / Points of View: Is Higher Tuition the Solution? |
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Points of View: Is Higher Tuition the Solution? |
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Written On: May/June 2005 |
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Written By: |
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Rep. Don Cox, R-Colfax, represents the 9th District serving Adams, Asotin, Garfield, Whitman, northern Franklin and southern Spokane counties.
Quality higher education is the door to opportunity for students. It is also the key the economic recovery of our state.
Washingtonians deserve an accessible and affordable higher-education system. Unfortunately, the cost of higher education began a steady increase in 1993 when the Legislature abandoned the practice of maintaining tuition at no more than one-third of the instructional cost of the institution. Since this change in policy, tuition has increased a staggering 89 percent at Washington’s research universities, having a dramatic impact on middle-income families.
In reality, higher-education tuition will continue to rise as costs rise. The problem is that the tuition increases have not been linked to a broader purpose. Tuition increases must guarantee students receive added value for the added dollars they’re spending for their education. For instance, if undergraduate students are going to be required to pay higher tuition, they must have more opportunity to be involved in research, applied learning, and internship or “practicum” programs that give market advantages to graduates.
The state only funds enrollments at a level needed to balance the budget. The amounts distributed to community colleges, regional universities and research institutions have little to do with costs of instruction. The state must go beyond that basic commitment. Students attending universities and colleges in Washington deserve to know their degrees are meaningful to their life goals, and their professional skills are adequate to the challenges of their field.
The past several years I’ve joined my colleagues Reps. Fred Jarrett, R-Mercer Island, and Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, as we worked with a variety of thoughtful people desiring a more strategic method of improving Washington’s higher-education system. To accomplish that goal we sponsored House Bill 1434, a comprehensive bill that would create a specific plan for our institutions to serve growing numbers of students, address both the changing needs of students and our economy, make higher education more affordable and predictable for families, and establish a system of accountability for taxpayers so we can be confident the institutions are serving their separate missions.
I believe the key to a successful higher education system will be putting a solid approach in place that would look more like a road map for the future than the more esoteric strategic plan. It requires specific targets for student enrollment levels, identifies degree production and the cost of a degree, and would be controlled through performance contracts containing specific commitments from both institutions and the Legislature.
House Bill 1434 would open the door to the American dream to more Washington citizens by increasing the availability of financial aid for low- and middle-income families. It would improve the state need grant by shifting its purpose to ensuring all Washington residents have equitable higher education opportunities. It expands financial aid to middle-income families by setting a ceiling requiring no more than 30 percent of their incomes to attend college.
Although this measure didn’t pass out of the House Higher Education Committee this session, I’m hopeful we will have the opportunity to consider House Bill 1434 next year. A world-class higher-education system will enable our work force to compete in the global economy. Our state’s economic recovery depends on it. More important, however, is the investment in the future of people’s lives. The Legislature must increase its investment in higher education, but improvement requires wise, thoughtful decisions that go beyond more money. Once a road map is in place and true accountability tools are created, the tuition discussion can be integrated into a contract between the state, institutions and families. Until these issues have been addressed, however, tuition rates will frequently make up for funding gaps in the higher education budget
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