Washington State University opened its doors for fall semester yesterday. And, thanks to the Republican controlled state Senate, students—and working families—can look forward to a lift in their tuition burden beginning in 2016. The relief is a long time in the making. As one study found, Washington State ranks second worst in the nation for tuition increases since the beginning of the recession in 2008.
For more than a decade, Democrats have used college tuition hikes, essentially a tax on the middle class, as a cash cow to help transfer taxpayer money to their special interest allies and key campaign donors. Under Democrat leadership in the Legislature, students pursuing higher education have faced an exponential growth in tuition rates— budget after budget has leeched off students, and their families, in order to pay for Democrats’ bigger-government agenda.
That’s why, during the 2015 legislative session, Senate Republicans pushed for tuition cuts. Republican Senators John Braun and Barbara Bailey co-sponsored the College Affordability Program (Senate Bill 5954). The bill sought to “reduce tuition by as much as 30 percent at state-run research institutions and cap tuition to a percentage of the state’s average income.”
Unfortunately, Democrats attempted to obstruct the bill from the time it was introduced. Democrat state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe and other members of her party opposed the bill because it proposed a more permanent solution to the problem of increasing tuition for middle class families by preventing Democrats from turning (as they have so often done in the past) to tuition hikes to fund their special-interest agenda.
Though you wouldn’t know it from the way they are attempting to take credit for the tuition cuts, Democrats initially rejected Republicans’ efforts to lighten the college tuition burden, choosing only to trumpet support for higher education when it suits their interests. In an example of political posturing at its worst, Democrats even appeared more than willing to withhold tuition cuts if it meant ensuring Republicans don’t get something they care about, i.e. higher education.
House Democrats’ budget proposal made it crystal clear where their true priorities lie – and it’s not with education. One version of the Democrat-controlled House’s budget proposed redirecting funding from higher education to a variety of social services. It also proposed cutting higher education funding by $300 million when compared to Senate Republican’s version.
Despite Democrat opposition, the new state budget includes Senate Republicans’ College Affordability Program (CAP). Republicans successfully managed to partially lift the heavy tuition burden that Democrats have placed on middle class families for decades. In what amounts to a quarter-billion dollar tax cut for middle income families, CAP will cut tuition at the University of Washington and Washington State University by 15 percent over two years. Other state universities will see a 20% tuition cut over the same time frame. And, community college tuition will decrease by five percent starting in 2016.
Fortunately for working families, Republicans—eventually—won… and received national attention for their efforts. The Huffington Post reported that the “rare move” of cutting tuition rates has national experts believing Washington would “influence other states as they come out from under the recession.”
Sen. Braun called the accomplishment a “meaningful reset” for tuition—much needed considering how high Democrats increased rates. For students—a their families—starting school this fall, it’s a “meaningful reset” that is sure to be meaningful to their pocketbooks.
