Our view: Missouri must reevaluate spending for higher education

 The University of Missouri system raised eyebrows with the announcement of a proposed 5.5 percent tuition increase for next year. The proposal was approved by the Missouri Department of Education last week, which blows past the 1.5 percent inflation rate, and could have triggered a penalty for the school system. Gov. Jay Nixon expressed unhappiness with the size of the increases because his proposed cuts to education were lower than expected, with 7 percent as opposed to 10 to 15 percent, as was originally expected.

The school system was not punished for raising tuition. Nor should they have been. Until Missouri changes its outlook on funding, public higher education schools will be forced to exceed the limits of tuition increases. If the goal is low tuition, lawmakers need to reconsider their spending habits toward higher education. And if the goal is to create jobs, lawmakers need to consider that higher education is both a creator of jobs and an excellent way to attract business to the state — and invest in it as such.

Missouri ranks 49th in the nation for change in total spending in higher education per student, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers. The report observed changes in funding during the past five years. Spending in Missouri has decreased per student by 12 percent. The national average increase was 3.4 percent per student. And we have more students. Enrollment in Missouri has increased by 17.7 percent.

Politicians always are talking about growing industries. They want to bring businesses and jobs to Missouri. They want to decrease unemployment. And that is great. We all want to climb out of the recession we've been struggling through. But here we have a blossoming industry. Flourishing, actually. Almost 300,000 students are enrolled in public colleges and universities in Missouri. This business is booming. Yet higher education is facing job cuts at every turn. Missouri leaders are spending funding elsewhere. You want to bring jobs in, Missouri lawmakers? Start with nixing the idea that higher education will now receive most funding through tuition.

Missouri legislators want to keep the cost for students low. Yet, we now operate in a largely tuition-based system. Eventually, Truman and its hardworking, thankless budget committee will run out of avenues to trimming the budget — and Truman will have to increase tuition above the inflation rate. So decide what you want, legislators. If you want to keep tuition low for students, so as to create educated and talented future members of the Missouri job force, then help public universities. We all breathed a sigh of relief when Nixon recommended 7 percent, but that sigh of relief seems like it really should have been a huff of frustration. A 7 percent cut isn't something we should be happy about.

 But, Missouri legislators, if you are going to continue to shave more off  public university budgets, don't be shocked when the line behind University of Missouri gets longer. Now that the tuition raise has been approved with no punishment, accept that other universities realize that to function and to give their students the best possible education, you have to allow them to increase tuition past inflation.

 As students, we do not want tuition to increase but we also don't want to attend a school with cheap tuition and a lousy academic program, larger class sizes and fewer amenities due to budget cuts.

 Decide what is important to you, legislators. Either invest in the growing business of higher education, bringing in students to public Missouri universities, creating jobs for professors and staff members and at the same time attracting businesses from out of state with our highly trained and competitive workforce that will come out of those institutions, or let universities decide what they need to do to function without that support. You can't have it both ways. We just hope you figure out that this state cannot be successful without more support of higher education before it is too late.