Today Senate Democrats passed a Higher Education omnibus bill that funnels millions to colleges with decreasing enrollment, creates a program to implement free tuition for select students, and negatively modifies the Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment program.

The legislation focuses spending primarily on new programs that are focused on social equity, rather than initiatives that advance the academic and skilled trade missions of higher education. Notably, the bill does not include a “tuition freeze” at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State schools.

“This bill should focus on providing quality higher education options for students and should do so in a way that keeps tuition affordable, limits student debt, and ensures campus safety – unfortunately this bill fails on all fronts,” said Senator Jason Rarick (R-Pine City). “This bill heads in the direction of funding ‘Free Public College,’ but only targets a limited demographic. I offered an amendment that would have transferred that money to the State Grant program, which would expand eligibility. The fact of the matter is that so many individuals and businesses are already stepping up to provide scholarships and grants to students. Pine Tech has been an outstanding example of how well these programs can work – they have been working diligently with the Dennis Frandsen Foundation to offer free tuition, and have been doing so without unnecessary government regulation. Students should get assistance, but we need to take a better approach than what this bill offers.”   

There is great concern that this bill also creates a precedent for unsustainable spending in numerous areas and does so in a way that fails to make higher learning institutions more affordable for all students. Though this legislation has a large price tag, it fails to address the declining enrollment that has plagued Minnesota’s colleges and universities in recent years. 

Senate Republicans offered multiple amendments to improve the bill, but all were rejected:

• Transfer of the “Free Public College” money to the State Grant program, therefore expanding the pool of those eligible (Sen. Rarick)
• An update to the Teacher Shortage Loan Payment language, ensuring that rural teachers and teachers in shortage areas are at equal standing (Sen. Draheim)
• Funding for “police officer skills training” in the Minnesota State programs to enhance student learning and incentivize careers in law enforcement (Sen. Farnsworth)
• Targeted funding for the University of Minnesota’s innovative “campus safety and security measures” (Sen. Duckworth)