Burnt Orange Report

College Tuition and the Race for Governor

By John Pruett

This past Thursday, Strayhorn got on the stump to deride Perry and deliver promises. The event was the state VFW convention in Corpus Christi and her first speech since announcing her candidacy for governor. It took place at Omni Bayfront Hotel, owned by UT Regent and “Bush Pioneer” Robert Rowling. Oddly enough, Rowling has contributed over $150 thousand to Perry’s campaigns during the past four years according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

Besides promising more benefits for veterans, Strayhorn also focused much on education. The Caller-Times reports:

Convention-goers gave Strayhorn standing ovations as she outlined her TexasNextStep Plan, which would offer Texas high school graduates the opportunity to attend two years of college or technical school with tuition, fees and books paid for by the state.

Strayhorn first proposed TexasNextStep in 2002. It was originally designed to decrease the state’s high school dropout rate by providing incentives for students to continue their education. Every student would be guaranteed 90 credit hours at a community college or technical school plus $30 per credit hour for textbooks.

The concerns addressed by Strayhorn’s plan are well-founded. Texas lags far behind in national education levels and more jobs in Texas now require some college. However, TexasNextStep has a flaw. In 2003, the legislature deregulated tuition for all Texas public colleges and universities. Since then community colleges have increased tuition by a state average of 55 percent. Given this new climate, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the state to project the cost of Strayhorn’s plan without the ability to control tuition rates.

Perry and most Republicans in the legislature have consistently ignored the plight of those unable to afford a college education. Instead, they have pushed for deregulation, cuts in financial aid, and weakening the Top Ten rule. A Scripps Howard poll from earlier this year revealed that a majority of Texans oppose tuition deregulation, and Strayhorn is smart to appeal to middle- and lower-income class voters who were the most affected by higher tuition costs.

Chris Bell has also made the cost of college one of his concerns as he explores his candidacy for governor. Last week, he attacked Perry’s support for tuition deregulation and called it a “failed” plan. He rightly believes that Texas must re-regulate tuition to keep it affordable.

However, both Strayhorn’s and Bell’s proposals are only partial solutions. Ensuring low tuition ultimately depends on the legislature adequately funding colleges and universities. Once tuition is under control, then the legislature could consider something like TexasNextStep.

Higher education has the potential to be an important issue during the 2006 statewide elections. The current Republican majority has indeed “failed” on higher education and average Texans are paying the price. Furthermore, Democrats have traditionally held an advantage when it comes to education and should make the most of it.

My guess is that Strayhorn will most likely lose in the Republican primaries. At that point, Bell or whoever becomes the Democratic candidate for governor should nail Perry to the wall on higher education. Texan’s are broadly in favor of affordable tuition, and Democrats would fair better with typically-conservative, middle-class voters by focusing on it. More importantly, all Texas families deserve as much.