Costly lessons to learn

I appreciated the Feb. 17 article featured in The Spokesman entitled “State struggling to keep up with education fund.” As a local college student currently attending Eastern Washington University, this issue weighs heavily on my mind and my wallet.

I thought that the Guaranteed Educational Tuition Program looked like a great idea, especially for my little brother. He’s a high school freshman, and the realities of the cost of a college education are slowly starting to set in as he sees my university bills.

The idea of basically buying a future college education at today’s rates is genius, but I appreciated that this article addressed the logistics of such a program. I don’t know that I have enough confidence in Washington’s legislative or educational system to ensure that the money I invest in such a program would still be accessible years later when I need it.

Such a program has the potential to be invaluable to so many families, but if Washington state isn’t able to deliver, families are left worse off than before. Thank you for drawing attention to this issue, and keep up the good work.

Margaretta R. Underhill

Spokane