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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Education board endorses tuition

Associated Press

BOISE – The Idaho Board of Education has endorsed a bill to allow Boise State University, Idaho State University and Lewis-Clark State College to charge tuition, saying the measure would allow schools greater flexibility in how they use their money.

Board members signed off Thursday on a final version of the bill, which now goes to the state Legislature.

Idaho law forbids ISU, BSU and Lewis-Clark State from using student fees to cover instructional costs. But if the proposed legislation passes, universities would be allowed to use the tuition fees more broadly to cover teaching – as well as other costs such as construction and building maintenance that are now covered by matriculation fees.

Board members said this bill isn’t meant to raise the cost of an Idaho education.

“This change doesn’t alter the board’s desire to keep total student fees as low as possible,” said Rod Lewis, president of the education board, in a statement. “At the same time, this will allow our universities additional flexibility in their use of funds at a time of restricted state funding.”

Rising fees for higher education have drawn criticism from college students, who say their fees have risen 165 percent since a 1986 law was passed allowing schools to pass along some costs to students through the matriculation fees.

Students at ISU and Lewis-Clark State are suing the state Board of Education, claiming Idaho is illegally charging tuition for its public schools. Their lawsuit, filed Jan. 14 in Pocatello, asks that a court take over authority for administering so-called student fees and stop any further fee increases unless a judge weighs in on the matter.

The Board of Education reiterated that the proposed bill won’t allow tuition at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

That school’s charter is anchored in the state constitution, and any changes repealing the tuition prohibition would have to come as a constitutional amendment, requiring a vote of Idaho residents.