‘Just work and school’: Tuition hike would hurt working-class Missouri families
The Missouri House lifted tuition caps for our public universities last week, and if the Senate follows suit, college will get even less affordable for the working families that lawmakers always say they care about.
The financial hit families took due to Covid-19 already caused many to reconsider college options, making this a particularly bad time to raise tuition.
During House debate last week, Maysville Republican Rep. J. Eggleston argued that schools already have enough funding. They don’t; in fact, Missouri already ranks near the bottom in funding for higher education.
Lawmakers in the House didn’t put students first. A tuition increase takes the pressure off the legislature to provide funding and puts the onus on schools.
Allowing tuition increases will punish students like Tamia Schiele, who is 17 and has already been accepted into her dream school, the University of Missouri. After she graduates from Raymore-Peculiar High School this spring, she plans to pursue a political science degree and hopes to attend law school after that.
She has applied for multiple scholarships, but with an older brother already at Missouri State, Tamia is aware of the financial burden her family would face if the cost of college goes up. “Instead of studying, I would have to work,” she said.
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in the Senate’s education committee. The measure they’ll consider would allow public colleges to hike tuition rates without any of the restrictions set previously by the state.
Crippling debt and prohibitive costs for families already struggling, particularly during this pandemic, is not a winning strategy.
The Missouri Senate must do what the House failed to and consider the obligation the Legislature has to make sure all Missourians have access to higher education.
