Make college more affordable

A flunking grade for higher education affordability. That’s what Oregon and 48 other states get from a new study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Only California received a passing grade, largely in part to its relatively affordable junior college system. The grade is based on what the average family has to fork over as a percentage of its income to send a child to college. The grade is an indictment on the entire American system of higher education and how we are falling behind our global competition in making college accessible and preparing the population for the demands of the future.

Obviously, low-income families are hardest hit when colleges become ever less affordable. From 1999 to 2008, the study revealed, the bottom fifth income families went from having to spend 39 percent of their income for college tuition to 55 percent. And the problem is likely to just get worse as the recession deepens. If Oregon is to compete with the rest of the United States, and the United States is to compete with the rest of the world, we need to make more of a commitment to give a higher percentage of our youth access to higher education. A quality, affordable education equates to economic opportunity, and there are many doors that an affordable higher education can open. Equally, there are many doors that slam shut when education becomes unattainable.

Even now in a recession, especially now in a recession, we need to reverse disinvestment in education. An education investment now saves higher costs later, and educational opportunities that strong schools offer also attract business. A town like La Grande will be positioned much better if more funding flows into the educational system to open doors to a greater percentage of the population.

In the global economy, technology and knowledge will grow increasingly important. For the United States to compete, and for Oregon to compete, we need to make sure that colleges become more affordable for the average family.