Squeezing through some of the tightest economic straits the state has negotiated in decades, higher education emerged from Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) proposed budget relatively unscathed. The University System of Maryland’s budget saw a slight increase. A tuition freeze was also put on the table.
Some state lawmakers have accused O’Malley of playing politics with education, especially when it comes to his highly popular tuition freeze. For example, State Senate President Mike Miller (D) has proposed ditching the freeze in order to shore up funds to prevent the state from laying off 700 employees. But a short-term pinch is no excuse for abandoning long-term dreams. Accessible education is the key to economic development and equality, and needs to be prioritized.
From the perspective of the state, an investment in higher education is an investment in its own economic future. Just two months ago, a state commission recommended increased higher education funding as the solution to a state shortage of doctors, teachers and scientists. The state’s population is growing slower than the national average, and the current population alone may not be able to meet its employment demands. Especially as the state shifts more toward a knowledge-based economy, Maryland needs to be able to compete for qualified workers. Yet the fact is that the states we are up against are already investing more in their schools.
Of course, with 700 real jobs and real people on the line, we can’t ignore today’s job market, either. But it’s a false choice to suggest we have to. O’Malley’s budget is based on the state receiving $350 million in aid from a federal stimulus package pending in Congress, an amount he said is an estimate. However, the text of the proposed House bill includes $79 billion in direct aid for states, almost $1.5 billion of which would be earmarked for Maryland. There’s no guarantees this text won’t change, but it’s simply too soon to walk away on higher education, especially when you consider that the Democrats who proposed the bill in the House also control the Senate and the White House.
If that guarantee wasn’t enough, frustrated state lawmakers hoping to save the jobs have also started a list with suggestions of other possible cuts. The tuition freeze may be political, and in the realm of possibilities, it may not even be the best way to spend on higher education. Academic departments contend they’re still underfunded, and the state is only committing $1.5 million toward narrowing the achievement gap between underprivileged students and their peers. But a tuition freeze is still a viable way to ensure the affordability of higher education. Now is the worst time to be building a wall around it.
