Our Views: Tuition Cut Would Be a Savings for Middle Class

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The dream of attending a university, earning a degree and beginning a career is one shared by all income classes. 

It has become harder over the years, as the cost of tuition has skyrocketed, meaning those who choose to pursue higher education often exit college saddled by heavy debt. 

A bill proposed by state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, would go a long ways to improving the situation and making college more affordable for all. 

Senate Bill 5954 would create a 25 percent reduction in tuition at state institutions. The legislation is currently languishing in the Legislature, which is in its second special session as Republicans and Democrats continue to negotiate with different visions for the future of the state. 

Democrats are voicing concerns over the Republican tuition plan, which is solidified in the GOP budget proposal. 

They say it will negatively impact families who have chosen to invest in the Guaranteed Education Tuition Plan, a state program that allows parents to pay for school in advance. The value of the investments are connected to tuition costs, meaning the value of GET diminishes with the cost of college. 

House Democrats have instead proposed freezing tuition at state universities and colleges, but the plan proposed by Braun and his fellow Republicans goes much farther.

If approved, Washington would be the only state in the country to reduce tuition this year, and the cut would go into effect this fall. 



The concerns voiced by Democrats are certainly worth considering, though Braun says parents would not see a loss in their investments. Rather, the value of a GET unit would be adjusted based on the cost of tuition, meaning their would be few permanent negative effects. 

According to The Seattle Times (see page Main 13): “The payout value would shrink from $117 today to somewhere around $88, give or take a few dollars, because tuition at the most expensive university in the state would go down by that much. But each investor would then get approximately 33 percent more units to make up the difference — enough to account for variables in tuition and fees.”

An often forgotten conundrum in higher education is the plight of the middle class. 

Many parents don’t make enough money to pay for their children’s college education on their own, yet the current system determines that they make too much to be eligible for financial aid. 

A tuition freeze won’t fix that problem. Braun’s proposal would. 

The Legislature should reduce tuition now rather than fret over non-existent threats to a program that will adjust to the changes over time.