Published: Monday, February 22, 2010
GUEST COMMENTARY / HIGHER EDUCATION
Keep lawmakers accountable for tuition rates
One of the most controversial issues in higher education this year is who should be setting tuition levels, the state Legislature or the universities’ governing boards. This year both the House and the Senate took up several bills attempting to address this issue, from Sen. Ken Jacobsen’s unfettered local control to Rep. Deb Wallace’s strengthening of the performance agreement process. The bill that has survived is Sen. Derek Kilmer’s SB 6562.
Many news outlets, including the Herald, have praised 6562 as a solution to the problems our universities face in these tough economic times. In reality, this bill does not solve the problem, and doesn’t even address the underlying issue.
The bill grants tuition setting authority, within certain bounds, to the governing boards at the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University. The regents at those schools (they’re called trustees at WWU) would be able to shape their budgets knowing that they will be increasing tuition by x percent in any given year. However, the regents have always been able to assume growth in tuition. They have always been able to go to Olympia to tell the Legislature what they are budgeting on, and how much tuition should increase. This bill simply removes the discussion of tuition rates from the discussion of state funding in Olympia.
Each year, the Legislature decides how much money to give to each state agency, including the six public universities. This is where the underlying problem has lurked. With each passing year, the investment our state makes into the students in our higher education system shrinks. For the first time ever, students at the UW, WSU and WWU are paying the majority of the cost of their education. Previously, students at our public institutions were supported by the state to the tune of 60 percent of the cost of education. This is the portion of revenue that is unpredictable for our university administrations. This dwindling support is what causes our administrations to continually raise tuition at rates that are more than double the growth in the state’s median family income.
Even if the basic premise of the bill were not flawed, there are significant problems with the bill as it is currently written. Under this bill, tuition rates would spike. Over the previous 20 years, tuition has grown steadily at approximately an average of 7 average — this includes years when tuition increased by 22 percent, 16 percent and 14 percent. The Legislature has, wisely, chosen to compensate for drastic increases in bad years with smaller increases in better years. SB 6562 would allow that growth rate to jump to 9 percent averaged over 15 years, and several interest groups are asking for it to be 10 percent over 15 years. Under the 7 percent growth, tuition doubled every 10 years. If the 10 percent rate passes into law, tuition will double in five years. Seniors at Everett High School who attend the UW would see their tuition double by the time they graduated.
Another key flaw is that the bill entirely removes the Legislature from the process of deciding what rates our citizens should pay to attend our public institutions. The bill removes the “public” from our public education. I hope this issue strikes a chord with the citizens of Everett, considering the outcry over the decision to hold City Council meetings in the morning. Our community has long valued the input citizens are able to give their government. This bill would take a key part of the governance of a public institution away from our democratically elected officials and give it to a board of appointed regents.
Rather than simply chastise the proponents of this bill, the students of the University of Washington, and many other schools, have been working to support actual solutions to the problem. Rep. Wallace has also been working tirelessly to find a solution that increases accountability of the Legislature, and gives the universities the flexibility they have been asking for, while still protecting the interests of all of Washington’s citizens. Under Wallace’s proposed solution, lower and middle income families would be able to access the highest quality education, and the citizens’ elected officials still have their hands guiding our prominent public institutions.
If the people of Everett want to continue sending their children to the UW, WSU or WWU, I strongly encourage them to revisit the ideas behind SB 6562, and decide if they want unelected bureaucrats making decisions that will price out the kids going to Everett or Cascade high schools. SB 6562 is currently a bad policy for students and families.
Jono Hanks is director of government relations for the Associated Students of the University of Washington.
Many news outlets, including the Herald, have praised 6562 as a solution to the problems our universities face in these tough economic times. In reality, this bill does not solve the problem, and doesn’t even address the underlying issue.
The bill grants tuition setting authority, within certain bounds, to the governing boards at the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University. The regents at those schools (they’re called trustees at WWU) would be able to shape their budgets knowing that they will be increasing tuition by x percent in any given year. However, the regents have always been able to assume growth in tuition. They have always been able to go to Olympia to tell the Legislature what they are budgeting on, and how much tuition should increase. This bill simply removes the discussion of tuition rates from the discussion of state funding in Olympia.
Each year, the Legislature decides how much money to give to each state agency, including the six public universities. This is where the underlying problem has lurked. With each passing year, the investment our state makes into the students in our higher education system shrinks. For the first time ever, students at the UW, WSU and WWU are paying the majority of the cost of their education. Previously, students at our public institutions were supported by the state to the tune of 60 percent of the cost of education. This is the portion of revenue that is unpredictable for our university administrations. This dwindling support is what causes our administrations to continually raise tuition at rates that are more than double the growth in the state’s median family income.
Even if the basic premise of the bill were not flawed, there are significant problems with the bill as it is currently written. Under this bill, tuition rates would spike. Over the previous 20 years, tuition has grown steadily at approximately an average of 7 average — this includes years when tuition increased by 22 percent, 16 percent and 14 percent. The Legislature has, wisely, chosen to compensate for drastic increases in bad years with smaller increases in better years. SB 6562 would allow that growth rate to jump to 9 percent averaged over 15 years, and several interest groups are asking for it to be 10 percent over 15 years. Under the 7 percent growth, tuition doubled every 10 years. If the 10 percent rate passes into law, tuition will double in five years. Seniors at Everett High School who attend the UW would see their tuition double by the time they graduated.
Another key flaw is that the bill entirely removes the Legislature from the process of deciding what rates our citizens should pay to attend our public institutions. The bill removes the “public” from our public education. I hope this issue strikes a chord with the citizens of Everett, considering the outcry over the decision to hold City Council meetings in the morning. Our community has long valued the input citizens are able to give their government. This bill would take a key part of the governance of a public institution away from our democratically elected officials and give it to a board of appointed regents.
Rather than simply chastise the proponents of this bill, the students of the University of Washington, and many other schools, have been working to support actual solutions to the problem. Rep. Wallace has also been working tirelessly to find a solution that increases accountability of the Legislature, and gives the universities the flexibility they have been asking for, while still protecting the interests of all of Washington’s citizens. Under Wallace’s proposed solution, lower and middle income families would be able to access the highest quality education, and the citizens’ elected officials still have their hands guiding our prominent public institutions.
If the people of Everett want to continue sending their children to the UW, WSU or WWU, I strongly encourage them to revisit the ideas behind SB 6562, and decide if they want unelected bureaucrats making decisions that will price out the kids going to Everett or Cascade high schools. SB 6562 is currently a bad policy for students and families.
Jono Hanks is director of government relations for the Associated Students of the University of Washington.
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