Posted on 05/08/2015 9:31:33 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Over the last decade, states have made massive cuts to higher education, with average state support falling from $9,729 per student in 2001 to $6,815 in 2011. While a large share of the blame for these cuts can be pinned on the financial crisis and subsequent recession, some of the decline is due to a deliberate effort to eviscerate public higher education. For instance, Bobby Jindal plans to savage higher education spending in Louisiana to the tune of $141.3 million, or about 12 percent of the state’s higher education budget, to pay for tax cuts. In Wisconsin, Scott Walker is cutting $300 million over two years, again to pay for reckless tax cuts. Kansas is an even sadder story. Though the state had a large reserve fund in 2012, Governor Sam Brownback quickly depleted it with a massive tax giveaway to the rich. Now he’s cutting K-12 and university funding to the tune of $44.5 million. There’s a good reason our list of governors seeking deep cuts is shaded a uniform red: Both research and history shows that Republican-controlled states are more likely to cut higher education. One study found that when Republicans take over governors mansions they reduce spending on higher education by $0.23 per $1,000 in personal income (a measure of the state’s total tax base). Each 1 percent increase in the number of Republicans in the legislature leads to a $0.05 decrease. Given that the average spending on higher education across all states in 2014 was $5.47 per $1,000, the effect is large.
Nationwide, the total impact of these cutbacks is breathtaking. Between 2008 and 2013, states cut a total of $16 billion, adjusted for inflation, from their higher education budgets, even as enrollments rose more than 11 percent. Funding per student dropped even more dramatically, falling by more than 27 percent, or about $2,500 per student. These cutbacks, in turn, have translated nearly 1-to-1 into tuition increases, which averaged nearly $3,000 over the past decade. But the question is not simply deficits, but priorities: Just seven months of funding for the F-35 Fighter would be enough to fully restore higher education spending across the nation.
A new Demos study estimates that 78 percent of tuition increases at public universities in the past decade can be explained by decreased state spending on higher education (see chart). Commonly cited factors like “administrative bloat,” are far less important, accounting for only 5 percent of the increase in higher education costs.
These state cuts and resulting skyrocketing tuition prices are incredibly worrying for upward mobility in America, because they’ve forced young people seeking a college education to borrow unprecedented amounts just to earn a degree. Low-income students and students of color leave college with more debt than wealthy white students (see chart), and they bear the brunt of austerity.
Public universities and community colleges are important, because the top tier of private universities are very exclusionary, and few poor and middle class students are admitted. Further state cuts to higher education will create a world where only some, mostly wealthy Americans have a shot to better their life by completing higher education.
It’s not just progressives making this point; recently, Standard & Poor’s argued that inequality was slowing growth by reducing college graduation rates among low-income people, likely in part due to the effects of the debt necessary to finance low-income students’ educations. The analysts suggested that a way to bolster upward mobility and reduce inequality would be increased college attainment. Yet in recent years, many conservatives, who claim to support economic growth and business, have made savage cuts to education.
These cuts are particularly shortsighted because the benefits of higher education, both for individuals and society at large, pay for the cost of investment many times over. The body of research on the impacts of higher education is massive, but their consensus is that increased higher education impacts nearly every corner of society, from increased economic growth to lower crime, better health, greater civic participation, and even childhood development. A few highlights: One study found that 8.7 percent of all economic growth between 1959 and 1998 could be attributed to increased education. Other studies have found that increased higher education leads greater rates of voter participation, to the tune of 22 percent; a 15 percent reduction in crime, and better cognitive development among children of parents with college degrees.
On the flip side, the costs of state disinvestment in higher education are similarly staggering. Further state cuts will lead to even higher levels of student debt, which then leads to lower homeownership rates, less retirement savings, and fewer vehicle purchases, among other effects. Previous Demos work suggests that $53,000 in student debt will lead to lifetime wealth loss of $208,000, largely through lower retirement savings and home equity.
Although public investment in higher education is broadly popular, the wealthy tend to be the least supportive. In their recent study of the wealthiest Americans, Benjamin Page, Larry Bartels and Jason Seawright find that 78 percent of the general public agree that “[t]he federal government should make sure that everyone who wants to go to college can do so,” compared to only 28 percent of the richest Americans.
There are bright spots in this sad story: President Obama’s plan for free community college is a welcome opportunity for the government to step in and fill this gap. Two weeks ago Senate and House Democrats introduced a resolution to create debt-free higher education. Hillary Clinton says she’ll be rolling out a comprehensive plan to tackle student debt. On the other side of the aisle, the House Republican budget would eliminate guaranteed funding for Pell Grants, which helped 9 million low income students attend college in 2013-2014 school year. One analysis suggests that some students using the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) program would end up with twice the debt under the Republican budget proposal. They would also As the national discussion about higher education proceeds it’s important to remember the government has an important role to play in supporting debt free higher education.
He's also giving the university system more autonomy over how they handle their own affairs - so university can find the savings - as we all have had to do. Everyone will be watching to see how the university swing it (cut $300M from a $7BILLION budget).
Fact: Over 50% of every state's budget goes to education. This is separate from the Federal money (again - YOUR money) spent on education.
"Higher" Education = Big Education: Where after most of the incoming freshman take a few remedial classes (reading, writing, math) they can start their re-education indoctrination.
Gov. Walker Proposes Bold Education Budget
Scott Walker's 2015-17 Budget Proposal: What You Need to Know
This is another thing I like about Walker.
Oh, nooooooo!
Cutting six-figure salaries for teaching two classes each semester and actually making students pay the real cost of an education.... it’s too cruel!
It would be nice to have a President who will be vicious to the entire federal budget. Walker 2016.
Walker’s spending cuts are “vicious.” Jindal’s are “savage.” Brownback is even “worse.” When Salon pisses and moans about things like this in such hysterical terms, you know these governors are doing something right. Keep up the good work guys!!
Maybe the luxury style dorms will have to get rid of the espresso machines and maid service.
Just exaggerating, slightly.
I doubt that anyone who lives here and has to pay our high Wisconsin taxes considers these cuts "reckless".
Perhaps the professors will actually have to teach more than one class per week to stay within their budget guidelines!
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wiscons interest ping list.
Reading that made my brain hurt
Though once again they are tipping their hand that the Dems intend to buy this election with a student debt forgiveness proposal.
The UW will cut “gender studies” or some such crap, then raise hell about how Republicans and Walker are forcing sexism into the university. Just like when local school boards are forced to make cuts, they always threaten to cut football and band.
Since we are discussing college tuition...
I read recently that Walker used to support in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.
Please correct me if that is not true.
Why have colleges been raising prices for the last 30-40 years?
"Because they can!"
Cut administrators and cut prof pay/class taught. If they want more pay, teach more classes.
Easiest way to save millions. Consolidate. 5 teachers who teach the same subject once or twice a week can be consolidated into 1 teacher teaching the course 10 times a week. That’s a full 30 hours, leaving plenty of time to publish or perish.
Between benefits, salary and housing that’s a million right there. Multiply that by 50 teachers. Just saved 50 million dollars and nothing changed.
"Devastating" to the marxist parasites who infest academia maybe. And it's true that budget cuts might mean those useless propagandists will have to find real jobs where their cherished ideals of laziness, ineptitude, and bureaucratic anonymity are not of much value.
The article has not explained why taxpayers should be paying for higher indoctrination, er, education, either.
Gee, that's quite a spread there. I imagine most of that 8.7 occurred during the earlier years when there were actually jobs waiting for college grads.
And I'd like to see a pie chart showing the correlation between percentage of college finacial assistance vs actually attaining a degree. From what I've seen the less skin in the game = less importance placed on attending class. Eventually the beneficiary losses interest and drops out.
Nothing in that statement about the efficacy and cost effectiveness of our college system. I believe that we can cut university funding another 60% with zero impact on productive education that matters.
All we have to do is eliminate the useless wasteful, and counter productive courses, administration, and activities on campus. That is, return to the basics of what a college education should be all about.
liberal arts is the most insane education on this planet. May as well
give those students crayons and finger paint.
Get the government money out of college and tuition will fall back to sane levels.
Government money and loan guarantees are the reason some schools can pay $250K or more to a prof with only one scheduled course.
In 2013 the average full professor at Columbia was paid $212,300 a year.
http://tinyurl.com/High-Pay-Profs
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