Jeb Bush confronted John Kasich over his higher education ideas, but Bush’s solutions have some problems of their own — if they even exist.
When Kasich suggested that colleges focus on academics, receive funding based on student achievement, and let students work off debt through public service, Bush jumped in.
“We don’t need the federal government to be involved in this. Because when they do, they create a $1.2 trillion debt,” he said.
Bush declared that accountability has kept Florida tuition low, and policy should “let the states do this. You’ll create a much better graduation rate with lower cost.”
Tuition for public four-year schools in Florida is $2,500 less than the national average, though tuition has increased 47 percent during the last five years compared with a 30 percent increase nationally, according to the College Board. Only Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Utah, and Wyoming have lower tuition prices.
Bush has dismissed Democratic plans for higher education as “more free stuff” and “fiscally irresponsible,” but he’s been tight-lipped on details for his own policy.
As part of his plan for tax reform, Bush mentioned that “we have to transform the education system so that all children are prepared to succeed in college and at work.” Nice words, but none from which any presidential candidate would stray.
Presumably, his enthusiasm for a state-based approach aligns with his support for a Tennessee plan to make two years of community college free for all students.
In September, Bush promised a plan to address college debt within a month, but that has not materialized.
“There’s a way to do this where you’re requiring higher education institutions to reform themselves, where they don’t just build in more and more costs,” he said at a town hall meeting in Miami.
As the Republican candidate field narrows, more specifics are expected to emerge if Bush remains in the race. Until then, Bush has been tight-lipped on how to improve higher education.
Whether that’s because his ideas are identical to other Republicans or he simply hasn’t prioritized higher education as a campaign issue is unclear.
