posted by Josh Goodman
Here's a hot issue in states: college tuition freezes.
Governors O'Malley of Maryland, Gregoire of Washington, Rell of Connecticut, Pawlenty of Minnesota and Schweitzer of Montana all have proposed freezing college costs in place at some or all state institutions. Lawmakers in Ohio and Texas are looking at the idea too.
It's no mystery why policymakers are making these proposals now. Tuition rates at public colleges and universities have greatly outpaced inflation in recent years. Many students have seen their bills go up by 10% or more in a single year, then rise by a similar amount again the next. Financial accessibility has long been a hallmark of public higher education in the United States, but, more and more, that's being called into doubt.
Elected officials would do well, however, to understand the root cause of these tuition increases: elected officials.






