Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida recently backed plans that would allow his state’s 11 public universities and 28 community colleges to set their own tuition rates.
The issue Gov. Jeb Bush’s proposal to let Florida’s state colleges set their tuition increase. |
In Florida, as in most states, including Wisconsin, the Legislature decides tuition increases, which have been fairly consistent over the years.
In state-run university systems, taxpayers foot the bill for the majority of the costs. Due to the money coming from taxpayers, the government, or some sort of central governing body — such as the UW System Board of Regents — should govern over the state’s system and decide the tuition increases.
Public university systems are in place to offer a less expensive way of obtaining higher education. The institutions within a state should be in an equal price range so that when choosing a university, students can look at the educational options available instead of just the price tag.
If tuition increases were left to the university, it is probable that tuition costs would increase rapidly. For example, Florida estimated a 12.5-percent increase in the cost of its public universities in the next year. This type of drastic increase likely would force some students with less financial resources to drop out of school, thereby, lowering enrollment and somewhat negating the effects of increasing tuition.
Inevitably, each school is out for itself. If individual universities were allowed to set their tuition rates, it would increase competition. Government regulation of tuition increases allows each university to operate with similar resources. How each university uses the funds is, for the most part, up to that institution.
If public universities are pushing to be able to determine their own tuition rates, they need to consider where the majority of their money comes from: the government and the citizens of that state.