We need to put the brakes on Texas’ skyrocketing cost of college tuition

Texans pursue higher education with hope for a future of unlimited opportunity. Education is the pathway to success, and our economy is dependent upon a well-educated workforce.

That is why Texans who work tirelessly to pay their college tuition or to provide for their children to attend college must be assured they are getting a quality education at a cost they can afford.

They need to know that the degree they earn has real value in the marketplace and carries the promise of gainful employment.

Last month I wrote to all 38 of our public universities and asked for tuition data for each school since 2002. Before the 2003 legislative session, when de-regulation was passed, the Legislature set tuition.

Since 2002, tuition and fees have skyrocketed 147 percent while household income grew at only 32 percent.

University administration spending grew 149 percent, management spending grew 72 percent, while spending in classrooms grew only 65 percent.

Salaries are also at an all-time high, and since 2012, salaries for top administrators have nearly doubled. Some employees were given $100,000 to $400,000 bonuses on top of million-dollar paychecks.

Have we seen great results to match these increases in spending? No.

Today in Texas, only one in four students graduates within a traditional four-year cycle, and less than half earn a degree within six years.

More and more students are leaving college without earning the degree they sought, although they remain saddled with burdensome college debt.

Those who do graduate often find the value of their degree is questionable. Job prospects remain out of reach for many.

The Legislature is actually spending more on higher education, but our share of total funding is down because we can’t keep up with the profligate spending of university leaders.

During the 2015 legislative session, state leaders demonstrated our commitment to higher education by increasing funding by nearly $300 million (approximately 9 percent) and authorizing more than $3 billion for campus buildings.

Within months of this increase, most public universities again approved tuition increases.

To move forward in providing affordable, excellent higher education to Texas students, universities must scrutinize every dollar spent, as we do in the Legislature.

Many universities are making strides in targeting inefficiencies and incorporating innovative cost-efficient programs. These include developing low-cost degree options and more flexible course options for students.

We need to see a much more comprehensive approach to reducing costs and increasing student success, and it must start today.

Our goal must be to prevent tuition and fees from continuing to far outpace what Texans earn and live on now.

There is simply no more time to engage in the blame game as parents and their students struggle to afford higher education with the hope for a future of unlimited opportunity.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "We need to put the brakes on Texas’ skyrocketing cost of college tuition."