Kansas, South Carolina Governors Pitch More State Funding In Exchange For College Tuition Freezes

Two more governors have submitted their fiscal year 2022-23 budget recommendations, both of which call for healthy increases in state appropriations for their public colleges and universities. In each case, however, the recurring increases would be tied to the institutions agreeing to freeze tuition for the upcoming academic year.

South Carolina

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has proposed a number of new investments for higher education in that state. Included in McMaster’s proposals are:

• $183 million for higher education deferred maintenance
•  $20 million in one-time lottery revenues to address a nursing shortage in the state. The funds would be used in two ways: $10 million to supplement the salaries of nursing faculty, and $10 million to pay for tuition or scholarships for students enrolled in graduate-level nurse educator programs, Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, or PhD programs. As part of that offer, scholarship recipients must agree to assume a faculty role in a state nursing program after graduation.
• $60 million in additional financial aid for South Carolina residents who qualify for federal Pell Grants and who attend any in-state public college, university, or technical college. Students at private, independent, and historically black colleges and universities would receive an additional $20 million for tuition grants and assistance.
• $124 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand the state’s Workforce Scholarships for the Future, a program that allows residents to earn an industry credential or associate degree in “high-demand careers like manufacturing, healthcare, computer science, information technology, transportation, logistics, or construction.”

However, the key element in McMaster’s recommeded higher ed budget is that, for the third consecutive year, he has proposed that “the General Assembly freeze college tuition for in-state students.” In exchange, he’s recommending an increased appropriation of $20.1 million to the public institutions, equivalent to last year’s 2.7% increase in the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI).

Kansas

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s 2022-23 budget recommendation includes an additional $45.7 million for the state’s public universities. That increase, which would restore institutional funding to pre-pandemic levels, would be tied to a requirement that the institutions freeze tuition at their approved FY 2022 rates.

Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chair of the Kansas Board of Regents, called Kelly’s proposal “a pivotal moment for higher education in Kansas.”

Pittsburg State University President Steve Scott said, “In my 13 years as president of Pittsburg State University, we have never had such a bold set of investments in our work.”

With record reserves in the state’s coffers, Kelly also recommended millions in new funding for need-based financial aid, special scholarships, and community colleges. She also wants to add capital funding for maintenance, new facilities and enhanced technology at the public institutions, describing those dollars as an investment intended to increase the state’s economic competitiveness.

The action now turns to the state legislatures as they begin to hold budget hearings on their governors’ proposals before final votes later this spring. Advocates for higher education in Kansas may have the steeper hill to climb with lawmakers. Kelly, a Democrat, faces a tough battle for re-election in conservative Kansas where she will likely square off against Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt.