As ‘Education Week’ kicks off at Capitol, state Ed Board warns that tuition hike will be needed next year
This week is “Education Week” at the Capitol, with budget hearings scheduled this week on K-12 schools, higher education and related programs. Starting things off this morning, state Board of Education President Emma Atchley told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, “You will see how together we are working to serve students across the state, supporting students at all levels, and working hard to develop a … well-educated workforce.”
Atchley had a warning for legislative budget writers, however. While she said the board “fully” supports the governor’s proposed 3 percent merit raises for state employees, that Change in Employee Compensation recommendation, or CEC, will mean significant costs for colleges and universities to cover the increases for their employees. “I need to put the committee and the listening audience on notice that an increase in tuition will be necessary just to fully fund CEC and benefit costs in 2018,” Atchley said.
She said the board takes tuition increases seriously, and last year approved the lowest tuition increase in 29 years. The board recognizes, she said, that “many students are being priced out of higher education.” That’s why, she said, investing in scholarships is so important. She spoke out in favor of Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to fund a new “adult completers” scholarship for those who have some college credits but haven’t completed a degree. “Scholarship dollars will help this group contribute to the 60 percent goal at a minimal cost,” she said.
That 60 percent goal – that 60 percent of Idahoans age 25 to 34 have some kind of degree or certificate beyond high school by 2020 – is necessary to have a workforce that can meet the requirements of the jobs of the future, she said. “In the year 2020, the 60 percent goal will cease to be a goal and will become a demand by employers.”
Atchley cited a recent study that said the post-Great Recession economy “has divided the country along a fault line,” with college education the big divider. As the 5.6 million jobs lost in the recession are recovered, she said, 99 percent are going to those with some form of post-secondary education, and just 1 percent to those with just a high school diploma. Plus, she said, college education has been shown to decrease reliance on public assistance, and increase engagement in everything from civic life and voting to parent involvement in children’s activities.
“Nothing else, nothing else we can do as a state for increasing economic activity has the same strong return on investment as investing in higher education,” Atchley told JFAC. “Providing Idahoans access to high-quality and accessible higher education is a moral and economic imperative” for the state, she said.
Atchley also addressed the teacher career ladder, the five-year plan to improve teacher pay in which Idaho is poised to enter the third year next year, which includes the biggest bump in state funding. The cost next year is now estimated at $62 million, she said, and will raise Idaho’s starting teacher salary to $34,600. The state board is reviewing the teacher evaluation process, she said, to ensure that it meets the requirements of state law and the new career ladder. “I believe that our report will show that the career ladder funding is still an important and safe investment in our teachers,” she said.
