Tuition increases will hurt Iowa’s economy

Ragan Report Column: The wrong budget priorities at the Iowa Capitol are setting in motion a negative cycle: our state’s lack of skilled workers prevents strong economic growth. The lack of economic growth creates a budget deficit. The legislature cuts education to balance the budget. We must change course.
During the 2017 session, state funding was slashed for education at all levels. One result was a last-minute tuition increase — more than twice what was originally proposed — for students at our public universities.
Now a Tuition Task Force is looking at how Iowa’s public universities can provide students and families predictability in the cost of college, while maintaining a high-quality education.
Without a renewed commitment to state funding for our universities, significant tuition increases are likely for the next several years. I am opposed to this misguided strategy. It’s built on the wrong budget priorities.
According to a new report from the Tuition Task Force, Iowans say:
• Large increases are difficult to bear and will make a college education unaffordable for many.
• Universities need to do all they can to keep tuition low and help students with financial need.
• The state must do its part to ensure the best education at a reasonable price.
• The legislature and governor should take responsibility for higher education funding.
• Need-based financial aid for public university students must be a priority.
Steep tuition increases are bad for students, families, businesses and our economy. We need skilled workers ready to take on jobs, so we must do our part to keep college an affordable option for Iowans.
Preparing Iowa students for success after high school
A respected survey shows a shift in what Americans want in a high school education.
Americans overwhelmingly support a greater K-12 focus on career preparation, according to the PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
More Americans think public schools should prepare students for work and life with a greater emphasis on:
• Career, technical and skills-based classes
• Work training
• Interpersonal skills
• Citizenship skills
Most people no longer think that academic preparation should be the main goal of a public school education. The survey shows we still value traditional academic preparation, especially opportunities for advanced academic studies, but “the public sees academics, while important, as only part of today’s educational mission.”
When judging school quality, the public gives much more weight to students’ job preparation and interpersonal development than to their standardized test scores. The poll shows more than 80 percent of Americans:
• Support job or career skills classes even if that means students might spend less time in academic classes.
• Say schools should offer certificate or licensing programs that qualify students for employment in a given field.
• See technology and engineering classes as a very important element of school quality.
• Believe it is highly important for schools to help students develop interpersonal skills, such as being cooperative, respectful of others and persistent at solving problems.
These results suggest that the main concern for parents is this: They want their children prepared for life after they complete high school.
I want to hear your thoughts. Do agree with the results of this survey? How do you think we are doing at preparing students for their futures? You can reply to this e-mail to share your perspective with me.
Sen. Amanda Ragan (D-Mason City) serves Franklin, Butler and Cerro Gordo counties in Senate District 27. She can be reached at (515) 281-3371 or (641) 424-0874. Email her at amanda.ragan@legis.iowa.gov.