For the first time in 27 years: no college tuition
increases!
(Provided by State Senator Mark Schoesler)
We all knew the new state budget would include a whole lot more money for basic
education. What makes the new budget a real winner in my book is what it means
for our state-run higher-education institutions – the community and technical
colleges and Washington’s six public baccalaureate institutions.
Our Senate majority showed it would be possible to reduce tuition by 3
percent and still have a good, sustainable budget. The House majority and
governor wanted to keep the tuition-increase trend going and had pushed for increases of up to 10 percent. I’d still have liked to see a drop in tuition, but I
can live just fine with the final outcome, which is: tuition will not increase at state-run colleges and universities for the first time since 1986.
To put this in perspective, here’s what the world looked like the last time
there was no tuition increase at these state higher-ed institutions. My son,
who is married and became a father just before this session began, was all of
28 days old. My daughter, who is married and the mother of a 3-year-old, was
not quite 6 years old.
My mom and dad turned 50 (gee, that seemed old then!); Halley's Comet returned
for the first time since 1910; the town of Carmel, Calif., elected Clint
Eastwood as mayor; the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred; the space shuttle Challenger
exploded; the movie “Top Gun” premiered; and a gallon of gas cost 89 cents.
Reaction to the new no-tuition-increase budget (which is also a
no-new-general-taxes budget) was quick and positive. Elson Floyd, Washington
State University president and a voice of reason when it came to the debate
over higher-ed funding, said the new spending plan had been “worth the wait.”
Here’s part of his response:
“There are many positive
aspects to the higher education budget for the next two years. By far, the most
encouraging part is the recognition that we cannot continue to fund higher
education on the backs of our students. Moving into the biennium with
absolutely no increase in student tuition – and just as importantly, replacing
the revenue that an increase would have generated with state dollars – marks a
renewed commitment to keeping higher education affordable and accessible. It
provides welcomed relief to students and their families.”
President Floyd also announced the WSU regents would meet Monday to rescind the
2 percent tuition hike that had already been authorized for the 2013-14
academic year – and that the university would “seek no further increase in
tuition funding at this time.”
Marty Brown, the former state budget-office director who is now executive
director of our state’s community and technical colleges, offered this praise:
“The Legislature took a
great step forward for Washington’s economy by protecting students from tuition
increases through investments in public colleges and universities. Our 34
community and technical colleges will pay back this investment many times over
by providing the real-world training and education students need and employers
demand. As the economy continues to rebound, we urge lawmakers to continue this
positive momentum. All Washingtonians benefit when graduates bring their skills
and purchasing power to our shared economy.”
Back in 2007 I’d managed to get the Legislature to agree on a 7 percent cap on
tuition increases. That felt pretty good, so naturally it stung when the next
Legislature jettisoned the cap in 2009, enabling big double-digit jumps in
tuition. The fact that this Legislature held the line on tuition costs, at the
insistence of those of us in the Senate majority, has put things right again.
New budget good for education, bad for those wanting
big tax hikes
Just days before the 2012 legislative session began, the state Supreme Court
ruled – in the case of McCleary v. State of Washington -- that
state government wasn’t upholding its constitutional duty to provide for our
public-school system. Because the state budgets cover two years at a time, last
year’s Legislature was in no position to suddenly pour more money into K-12
education, so it was clear the task of responding to the McCleary
decision would fall to lawmakers in 2013.
Sure enough, our Senate majority responded. The new operating budget I helped
negotiate over many weeks (and helped pass Friday) includes a billion dollars
extra for K-12 education, just to address the McCleary ruling. Even
better, it didn’t take some corresponding billion-dollar tax increase to do
that – contrary to what the House majority and governor had argued.
Here, then are the final numbers:
·
$15.2
billion: Total state K-12 investment level in 2013-15 budget
·
$1.6
billion: Increase in state K-12 funding over 2011-13 biennium
·
$1
billion: New investments in K-12 directly applicable to McCleary
decision
·
11%:
Increase in state K-12 support over current budget
The fact that we could boost K-12 funding without big tax increases is
something to keep in mind in coming years, should anyone ever try to claim this
or that proposed tax increase is “for the kids.” If providing for basic
education is the state’s top priority under Washington’s constitution (and it
is) then there should never be reason to hitch education funding to a
tax hike.
