Gov. Martin O?Malley backs freezing tuition at the state?s public universities as part of his plan to increase “access and opportunity” for all students.
His new budget would increase spending on higher education by $192 million. Aside from producing warm fuzzies, (albeit welcome in these frigid temperatures of late) the idea offers little to recommend it.
First, the state faces a huge structural deficit. Spending is anticipated to grow 41 percent while revenues increase 25 percent from 2006 to 2011. Instead of increasing spending, Gov. O?Malley and state legislators must find ways to cut it. He should be commended for at least holding the overall 2008 budget to 2.5 percent over the previous one. But cutting spending, not slowing growth, must be the answer going forward.
Besides, how does the new governor plan to quantify whether that $192 million will make the state?s higher education offerings worth the investment?
If access to college really were a problem, fewer students would be showing up for school. That is not case. Enrollment has risen at colleges across the state, including the University of Maryland, College Park and Towson University. At Morgan State undergraduate enrollment has grown more than 35 percent over the past decade.
And don?t forget that the state supplies a minority of universities? budget needs. For example, state funds constitute 27 percent of the overall budget at U. Md.; 28 percent at Towson; and 39 percent at Coppin State University.
If the state provided a majority of state university financial support, it would have a stronger argument for making the financial decisions that affect it. The governor cannot dictate the curriculum, so why should he be allowed to dictate the price of admission? Shouldn?t administrators at each university ? the people most intimately connected to their students and invested in making their schools a viable and attractive place to study ? be able to set tuition rates?
And according to a poll of 1,106 registered voters last summer by WB&A Market Research, Maryland?s public higher education program is in decent shape.
More than half of respondents said the state?s higher education system was much or somewhat better than 10 years ago. Respondents also saw higher education as a secondary problem in the state.
All of those issues point to the fact that Gov. O?Malley should drop freezing tuition from his agenda. So should legislators. The Maryland Public Policy Institute estimates spending on health care could eat 20 percent of the state?s budget in 2011, up from 15 percent in 2006. A better use of our leadership?s brain power should focus on enacting structural reforms to stem spending on that entitlement issue.
