 From 2008 to 2018, tuition at Arizona’s four-year state universities rose 92.4%, according to a new report. MICHAEL JUNG By Lindsa
y Walker – Cronkite News WASHINGTON – Arizona universities suffered the largest percentage cuts in state aid to higher education since the start of the recession and saw the second-largest growth in student tuition at the same time, a new report shows. The report, issued Oct. 24 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showed only a handful of states have been able to restore higher education funding to pre-recession levels, in inflation-adjusted dollars. From 2008 to 2018, the report said, tuition at Arizona’s four-year state universities rose 92.4%, trailing only the 106.9% increase for Louisiana students. But Arizona’s increase translated into an additional $5,384 per student, which was tops in the nation. At the same time, state aid fell 54.9% in inflation-adjusted dollars, a decrease of $3,669 per student, the fourth-highest decline among states. One state lawmaker said that while there have been some improvements to higher-ed funding in Arizona, they have not been enough to recoup the deep cuts that were forced by the recession. “It’s really sad,” said state Rep. Aaron Lieberman, D-Paradise Valley, a member of the House Education Committee. “The state has cut hundreds of millions and the reality is we’ve put very little back.” But a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey said the state was facing a $1 billion budget deficit as recently as four years ago and has been able to turn that into a $1 billion surplus. Despite that, said spokesman Ben Peterson in a statement, the state has restored some funding for higher education. “Arizona is making meaningful investments in higher education, including a historic $1 billion bonding plan for universities – and Governor Ducey’s most recent budget included an additional $35 million investment in Arizona’s public universities,” Peterson’s statement said. Calls seeking comment from the Arizona Board of Regents were not returned. One advocate said state lawmakers have not made higher education a priority at what should be a critical time. Cesar Aguilar, president of the Arizona Students’ Association, said the continued rise in tuition rates can only hurt the state’s economy at a time when its population is booming. Phoenix is now the fastest-growing city in the U.S. “The more educated population you have, the more it becomes a priority for the state,” he said. Aguilar put the blame squarely on state lawmakers for not making higher education a priority. “State representatives are taking care of their own districts but don’t realize that state investment affects everyone,” he said. Lieberman was the only member of the House or Senate education committees who responded to a request for comment on the report, and he mostly agreed with Aguilar. Lieberman, who was elected last year, said higher education is a priority for him. The state “should be doing more” to help students now that the economy has recovered from the recession, but he said he has not seen a significant effort on the state’s part to do so. “We’ve done a reasonable job of getting back on the right path with K-12 schools but we are not there yet with higher education,” he said. The report said most students have not made up for recession cuts but that nine states — Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming — have managed to boost per-student funding back above pre-recession levels. Illinois posted the biggest gains over the 10-year period, adding 31.7% to state aid, or an additional $3,197 per student. Missouri and Ohio posted the smallest tuition increases from 2008-2018, the report said, swapping first and second place for the actual dollar increase and the percentage rise. Missouri tuition went up just $458, or 5.7%, while Ohio’s rose by $518, or 5.2%. Aguilar hopes state lawmakers elected in 2020 will put a greater focus on the issues facing higher education. In the meantime, he said, students will take whatever help they can get, pointing to a $1-per-credit-hour decrease in tuition at Maricopa Community Colleges last year. “It’s not a lot but it’s something,” he said.
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A contentious bill that would allow businesses to pay full-time students less than the state’s minimum wage was effectively killed in the Arizona Senate Rules Committee on Monday.
House Bill 2523, also called the Youth Employment Act, would have allowed employers to pay some workers the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour instead of the state's minimum of $11 per hour. The bill would have applied to full-time students under 22 years old who work for less than 20 hours a week. The committee decided to add an amendment to the bill that would require a three-fourths vote of the state House and Senate for approval. With opposition expressed by the Arizona Democrats in the legislature, the bill is likely to fall short of the number of votes needed to pass. In an emailed statement, Undergraduate Student Government Downtown president Aly Perkins said that USGD is relieved about the bill's failure to pass. "I don’t think some elected officials understood how much this legislation would hurt college students, despite the hundreds who signed in against the bill and who sacrificed the time to speak out," Perkins said. "Today was not only a win for ASU students but for the state." Senate staff attorney Chris Kleminich declared that the bill would contradict Proposition 206, which raised the state’s minimum wage for all Arizonans. Kleminich said the bill would be considered an amendment to the current proposition, and not a bill on its own. The Arizona Constitution states that lawmakers are only allowed to make changes to a voter-approved proposition with a three-fourths vote of both the House and Senate. Senate President Karen Fann said during the committee meeting that the bill would not pass to the full Senate for a vote given the slim chances it has of passing. Lucien Roberson, an economics and political science sophomore who works a part-time minimum wage job off campus, said he’s glad the bill was killed because it would affect him directly. Though, he said, he's not satisfied with how far the bill made it through the legislature. "It was 2016 that the original proposition passed, the fact that so quickly such a big majority of the Senate and House was looking the other direction kind of speaks to the character of some of the people representing us," Roberson said. "I don’t know if their intentions are in line with that of the people." Rep. Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert) introduced the bill on Feb. 4, saying at a later hearing that it would help businesses afford to hire and train more students. The bill faced many roadblocks as it made its way through the Senate, with concerns from labor organizations, students and lawmakers about its constitutionality. Despite the obstacles the bill has faced, it is still backed by the conservative Goldwater Institute, which said it believes that high minimum wage bills are harmful to first-time workers and students. Jon Riches, director of national litigation and general counsel for the Goldwater Institute, said the bill is constitutional and hopes the legislature tackles the issue of youth unemployment. "We think it's unfortunate, and we'll see what happens on the floor of the Senate," Riches said. "It's still very good policy and we know that these laws hurt ... students the most." But others maintain that if passed, the bill would do more harm than good to students, who they say often need to pay for their own expenses and cannot afford a cut in wages. Cesar Aguilar, executive director of the Arizona Students' Association, said in a statement that the organization is thankful to the organizers and students who pressured their elected officials to take action against the bill. "This bill could have cost many students at ASU, NAU, UA and the Arizona Community Colleges to drop out of college due to the high costs of tuition, fees, bills and food costs," Aguilar wrote. A contentious bill that would allow businesses to pay full-time students less than the state’s minimum wage was effectively killed in the Arizona Senate Rules Committee on Monday. House Bill 2523, also called the Youth Employment Act, would have allowed employers to pay some workers the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour instead of the state's minimum of $11 per hour. The bill would have applied to full-time students under 22 years old who work for less than 20 hours a week. The committee decided to add an amendment to the bill that would require a three-fourths vote of the state House and Senate for approval. With opposition expressed by the Arizona Democrats in the legislature, the bill is likely to fall short of the number of votes needed to pass. In an emailed statement, Undergraduate Student Government Downtown president Aly Perkins said that USGD is relieved about the bill's failure to pass. "I don’t think some elected officials understood how much this legislation would hurt college students, despite the hundreds who signed in against the bill and who sacrificed the time to speak out," Perkins said. "Today was not only a win for ASU students but for the state." Senate staff attorney Chris Kleminich declared that the bill would contradict Proposition 206, which raised the state’s minimum wage for all Arizonans. Kleminich said the bill would be considered an amendment to the current proposition, and not a bill on its own. The Arizona Constitution states that lawmakers are only allowed to make changes to a voter-approved proposition with a three-fourths vote of both the House and Senate. Senate President Karen Fann said during the committee meeting that the bill would not pass to the full Senate for a vote given the slim chances it has of passing. Lucien Roberson, an economics and political science sophomore who works a part-time minimum wage job off campus, said he’s glad the bill was killed because it would affect him directly. Though, he said, he's not satisfied with how far the bill made it through the legislature. "It was 2016 that the original proposition passed, the fact that so quickly such a big majority of the Senate and House was looking the other direction kind of speaks to the character of some of the people representing us," Roberson said. "I don’t know if their intentions are in line with that of the people." Rep. Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert) introduced the bill on Feb. 4, saying at a later hearing that it would help businesses afford to hire and train more students. The bill faced many roadblocks as it made its way through the Senate, with concerns from labor organizations, students and lawmakers about its constitutionality. Despite the obstacles the bill has faced, it is still backed by the conservative Goldwater Institute, which said it believes that high minimum wage bills are harmful to first-time workers and students. Jon Riches, director of national litigation and general counsel for the Goldwater Institute, said the bill is constitutional and hopes the legislature tackles the issue of youth unemployment. "We think it's unfortunate, and we'll see what happens on the floor of the Senate," Riches said. "It's still very good policy and we know that these laws hurt ... students the most." But others maintain that if passed, the bill would do more harm than good to students, who they say often need to pay for their own expenses and cannot afford a cut in wages. Cesar Aguilar, executive director of the Arizona Students' Association, said in a statement that the organization is thankful to the organizers and students who pressured their elected officials to take action against the bill. "This bill could have cost many students at ASU, NAU, UA and the Arizona Community Colleges to drop out of college due to the high costs of tuition, fees, bills and food costs," Aguilar wrote. |
