Editorial: Realities show schools should hold tuition reins

A bill that would give Washington state’s three largest universities tuition-setting authority died this week because House Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, is philosophically opposed. Her Senate counterpart put it to a vote and it passed. We wonder what Wallace’s colleagues think, but the soonest we’ll find out is next year.

Before discussing whether Washington state’s three largest universities should be given this authority, let’s stipulate to a fact that nobody disputes. The cost of higher education will continue to rise – by a lot. To get a ballpark figure for what you’ll be facing in six to seven years, check the current price and double it.

For two decades, the Legislature has essentially cobbled together state budgets for K-12 schools, health care and other items. What remained went to higher education. Those leftovers have gotten increasingly thin. To make up for the shortfall, universities have steadily increased tuition. This haphazard approach has made it difficult for universities to manage resources and maintain quality. The lack of predictability has put families and students in limbo.

For this reason, the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University have sought the authority to set tuition. The bill adopted by the state Senate would permit them to establish tuition six years out.

This change makes sense because the leaders of those institutions know best how to manage them. The bill comes with some limitations, and it puts the onus on the universities to establish benchmarks on degree attainment and other performance standards. The maximum annual tuition hike would be 14 percent, with no more than a 9 percent increase compounded over 15 years. Tuition waivers or financial aid to low- and middle-income students would need to keep pace so they aren’t priced out of public universities.

The performance standards are critical, because it is taking longer for students to attain bachelor’s degrees. Increasingly, students have jobs and must attend part-time. The burden would be on the universities to adapt to that changing reality, whether that’s offering more classes on the weekends, at night or online. The standards would also ensure that universities are graduating students in high-needs fields.

The bill is supported by the League of Education Voters and business leaders, who are concerned about the quality of graduates entering the work force.

Wallace wants legislators to control tuition because they are responsible for overall higher education funding and are accountable to voters. But that’s always been the reality and it hasn’t headed off two decades of declining support. The reality is that tuition will go up regardless, because there is still high demand for college slots. That’s a signal that prices can and will go higher.

The question is who is best positioned to ensure high quality. That would be the universities themselves.