Ragan Report

Keep job training and college affordable
     We’re working to keep college affordable so that all Iowans get the educational opportunities that lead to great jobs.
     Iowans value the opportunities Iowa’s 15 community colleges provide. Community colleges do a great job of training a skilled workforce at a time when nearly 34 percent of open positions in Iowa require an education level equal to an associate’s degree or higher. In 2014, Iowa’s community colleges trained more than 85,000 Iowans. That’s why we want to provide more than $40 million in ongoing worker training funding for all of Iowa’s community colleges.
     Despite the growing importance of community colleges to both Iowa students and the Iowa economy, state funding has not kept up. Even when accounting for inflation, tuition has increased dramatically in recent years. To help, our Education Budget includes an $8 million increase in general aid to our community colleges. This funding will help keep tuition rates down so that all Iowans are able to learn, train and grow at our community colleges.
     About 63 percent of Iowa’s state university graduates in 2013 had student loan debt, averaging $28,293 per student, according to the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. This year, we are proposing the funding necessary to freeze tuition for the third straight year at the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa.
     The Iowa Policy Project, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Reserve and others warn that rising student loan debt is bad for our economy. The investments we propose will help reign in escalating student debt, strengthen our middle class and grow Iowa’s future.
     Almost half of bachelor’s degrees awarded in Iowa come from our private colleges and universities. Iowa Tuition Grants help them pay their way. Iowa Tuition Grants are awarded to Iowa residents enrolled at Iowa’s private colleges and universities. Priority goes to applicants with the greatest financial need. The exact amount each student receives depends on the funding available and number of students awarded grants.
     Students may receive grants for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study. With the funding we are proposing for Iowa Tuition Grants in this year’s Senate Education Budget, the maximum annual award would be an estimated $5,000 per student next year—up from $4,550 per student this year. For the 2013-14 school year, almost 15,000 students received the grant, which is matched by their school.
• Additional information
     This is a legislative column by Sen. Amanda Ragan, representing Franklin, Butler and Cerro Gordo counties. For newsletters, photos and further information, go to www.senate.iowa.gov/senator/ragan.
     To contact Sen. Ragan during the week, call the Senate Switchboard at (515) 281-3371. Otherwise she can be reached at home at (641) 424-0874. Email her at amanda.ragan@legis.iowa.gov.
     Sen. Ragan is an Assistant Senate Majority Leader, chair of the Health & Human Services Budget Subcommittee, vice-chair of the Agriculture Committee and vice-chair of the Human Resources Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations, Natural Resources & Environment, Rules & Administration and Veterans Affairs committees.