Senator Shapleigh Proposes Bill to Rein in Skyrocketing College Tuition Costs
October 13, 2006
On October 9, Senator Shapleigh talked about skyrocketing college tuition costs and called for a three-year moratorium on tuition and fee increases. Students are bearing the brunt of statewide budget cuts in higher education.
Written by Senator Eliot Shapleigh, www.shapleigh.org
On October 9, Senator Shapleigh talked about skyrocketing college tuition costs and called for a three-year moratorium on tuition and fee increases.
Following a controversial tuition deregulation bill passed in 2003, tuition costs have skyrocketed. At UTEP tuition has increased by 47 percent. Tuition increases such as these are closing the door of opportunity on El Paso students and their families, as students are bearing the brunt of statewide budget cuts in higher education
To address this problem, Senator Shapleigh presented the Texas College Success Act of 2007. The bill will include:
· Implementing a three-year moratorium on tuition and fee increases,· Creating a five percent cap on any increase after the three-year period,
· Increasing funding for TEXAS Grants to fully serve the over 66,000 eligible students who will not be served this biennium due to a lack of state funding,
· Increasing student accessibility to work-study programs on campus,
· Requiring public universities to develop a uniform, online degree and finance plan allowing students to create a road map to graduation.
Tuition increases combined with higher education budget cuts serve to further limit access to Texas public universities. The ability of students in El Paso to access higher education and graduate with a degree on time is critical to the future of El Paso’s economy and quality of life.
"With this bill we rein in tuition hikes, fund TEXAS Grants, and move students to a college degree in four years. College education must be within reach for all Texas families," said Senator Shapleigh.
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