Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to take his state higher education system down the same voucher path as Colorado.

During his State of the State speech on Jan. 18, Gov. Pawlenty said that he would like to form a program similar to Colorado's College Opportunity Fund, which gives higher education funds directly to students and their families rather than to institutions.

The state's higher education money will be given directly to Minnesota residents who enroll in undergraduate programs at public or eligible private institutions. Students attending public institutions will receive the full stipend of approximately $2,400 for the first year. Those enrolling in private institutions will have to demonstrate a need for the funds. If they do, they will receive half of the amount given to students enrolled in public institutions.

Larry Gold, AFT Higher Education director, says the Minnesota plan could be very harmful since it provides a foothold on the slippery slope of privatizing higher education. Using vouchers will make higher education more akin to a business than an institution supported by the public. Schools will lose their focus on education and become more concerned with marketing to gain students' funds. Furthermore, as the Minnesota state college representative Brad Krasaway told Minnesota Public Radio, when colleges lose much-needed state funding, they often turn to tuition increases to fill the funding gaps. If they can't fill these gaps, the strong state research programs are likely to suffer, along with less popular, but still vitally important, programs. 

University of Minnesota president Robert Bruininks has been an outspoken opponent of vouchers. The Duluth News Tribune reports he told lawmakers that vouchers are a "recipe to erode the strength and capacity of the university to support its educational and research programs." 

That is not good news for a state that already lacks funding for higher education. In the past four years, tuition rates have increased to make up for declining state aid. In 2004, only 9.1 percent of the budget was dedicated to higher education, a significant drop since the more than 15 percent set aside in 1987.

Plans are still in an early stage, though, and as Minnesota State College Faculty president Larry Oveson says, "It's all about politics. Right now we are just keeping an eye on where the plan is headed." The MSCF is jointly affiliated with the AFT and NEA. The governor reportedly has asked the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office to begin creating a plan for presentation during the 2006 legislative session.  [Julie Berry, Barbara McKenna]

January 31, 2005