When economics make their way into a discussion on higher education it usually makes us shake our heads in disgust. This time things are a little different.
The decision by Gov. Ted Strickland's administration to extend in-state tuition rates to members of the armed forces and their families, even if they aren't from Ohio, is both deserved and forward thinking. But one shouldn't really be surprised considering the attention paid to higher education during Strickland's time in office.
The fact that Ohio is above the U.S. average in high school graduation rates but lags behind in number of graduates going to college has to be caused by something. A stroke of common sense from Columbus pinpointed the obstacle rather quickly.
College is expensive ' especially in Ohio.
Ohio is one of the top 10 most expensive states for tuition and fees, and in hard economic times many high school graduates are passing on college. So the governor froze tuition hikes, maintaining state school tuition at their 2006 levels.
That freeze remained despite large budget cuts, showing that the administration gets that, for a lot of Ohioans, cost was the biggest hurdle to improving themselves. And it showed the state felt higher education stands to improve not only its citizens, but also its economy.
In the vein of lowering costs and increasing access to higher education, the state is encouraging partnerships between four-year universities and two-year colleges that allow students to start their education at a more affordable rate while still finishing with a bachelor's degree in hand.
Companies look for the presence of an enterprising workforce when deciding to invest in a region. Making higher education more available is the only way Ohio can make that workforce more available.
When a family moves to a strange area, the first things they look at are local school districts, strong indicators of an area's economic strength. It's in a city's best interest to bolster its schools to attract hard-working, talented people.
A state trying to attract jobs and industry shouldn't think any differently when it comes to higher education.
But universities aren't the only institutions that need help.
Now the governor must fix the funding system for Ohio's primary and secondary schools so it doesn't rely on property taxes for the bulk of their budget, meaning richer districts get more money to spend while poorer ones don't get the help they need. Strickland understood the importance of K-12 funding when he told the legislature in last year's State of the State Address, where you grow up in Ohio should not determine where you end up in life.
We agree and understand the problem probably won't be fixed soon. But it would give us a lot less to shake our heads about.
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Ohio has made strides in promoting higher education, but isnG
