A state lawmaker Friday killed her bill to reduce funding for a college that educates many American Indian students, citing what she said were misunderstandings and unfair accusations of racism.
Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, said the measure wasn’t even her idea and was brought to her by the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
The bill brought a firestorm of criticism from Indians, and has attracted national attention.
“This was never about Native American students,” Middleton said, saying there were initial news reports about the bill that were inaccurate.
A 1911 agreement with the federal government requires Fort Lewis College in Durango to provide free tuition for every American Indian student who attends, including those from other states.
The cost to the state of paying the tuition of all Indian students will grow from $6.5 million in the 2004-05 budget year to $10.7 million in the 2010-11 year. And 96 percent of the Indian student tuition for the 2010-11 year, or $10.3 million, will be for out-of-state students.
Middleton’s bill said the state would pay only for the actual instruction costs of educating out-of-state students, or $13,217 per year, instead of the $16,060 per year in tuition the college charges.
The bill would not have meant any costs for Indian students, but it would have meant a $1.8 million funding decrease for the college in 2011-12.
The higher-ed department is grappling with ways to reduce higher-education costs as the state deals with a shortfall of at least a $1.3 billion in the 2010-11 budget year, which begins in July.
