Bill would freeze cost of higher education

Fed up with skyrocketing tuition and fees, and unconvinced that state colleges are spending wisely, state Rep. Bob Ackerman has a simple solution: no more money.
No more as in no increase in state appropriations, no increase in tuition, no increase in fees. A bill sponsored by Ackerman, House Bill 2957, would bar all the state's two- and four-year colleges from raising the price of just about anything, from lab fees to textbooks to football tickets.
The only charges that could rise under the legislation would be building and parking fees. It's Ackerman's way of telling colleges they've gone too far in raising the price of higher education to make up for steep cuts by the state and not far enough in finding other ways to balance the budget.
"Basically it's just a shot across the bow to express my dissatisfaction with the confiscatory tuition and fee increases, both in community colleges and in the state system of higher education," he said. "I hope what would come out of this is a greater awareness of the exorbitant cost of higher education."
College officials say they're already well aware of the cost, having increased tuition at the state's seven four-year universities - with the Legislature's approval - by an average 46 percent since 1999 and by 64 percent at its 17 two-year colleges. That's because annual state funding for universities is $50 million less this year than it was at the start of the 2001-03 biennium, while community college support is almost $30 million less.

Full Story: http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/03/28/b1.cr.tuitionfreeze.0328.html