While better college access and success is a pressing need, and finding avenues for our citizens is a laudable goal, I have considerable reservations about the college affordability proposal on the Denver ballot this fall. The proposal compromises Denver’s clear division of responsibility and doesn’t require accountability to Denver citizens from the colleges that will receive our support.
First, Denver has enormous obligations for infrastructure, safety, human services, parks, etc. How can we ask Denver taxpayers to support something that won’t address these operational needs? Additionally, the initiative proposes a sales tax, whose regressiveness means, ironically, that lower-income citizens will pay a larger proportion of their income to support lower-income citizens. Denver is trying to meet affordable housing goals and neighborhood improvements and expecting to ask for support with these and other city-focused needs. How much can our citizens take on?
Second, Colorado public higher education is not in the purview of city government; it is the responsibility of the state. Because of this division of responsibility, this initiative cannot require accountability to Denver on the part of the receiving colleges. The funds will go to non-profits that will provide student support and tuition relief. While there is accountability for these non-profits, the colleges have no obligation to the city to tackle tuition costs or student success rates during the life of this initiative.
It would be more appropriate if the state were to float a tax proposal to support student attendance at college, although there are issues about college tuition that bear more scrutiny in general.
College tuition has risen much higher and faster than inflation, while public investment in higher ed is vastly larger today, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than it was during the supposed golden age of public funding in the 1960s. There is evidence that the present college models play a bigger part in rising costs than lack of funding.
For example, persistence rates are disappointing. The Colorado Department of Higher Education’s latest report on graduation rates within four years is just 31.8 percent. The rate of completion at six years is 59.3 percent.
Persistence rates are affected by many things. Cost may be one of them, but so is a system that is difficult if you are struggling to maintain a job and family. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 40 percent of students in higher ed today are 25 or older, the population more likely to have these responsibilities. (Mystifyingly, this initiative limits eligibility to those who are 24 years or younger.) You see, most colleges are best organized for the 18- to 22-year-old with the leisure time to attend classes on campus at wildly variable times. There is research showing that re-organizing schedules to create predictable and concentrated class times can do more for successful completion than reducing cost barriers.
Denver has many urgent needs for our city. Taxing Denverites for challenges that are the state’s purview without any accountability to the city for improvements in college processes may be tackling the wrong end of the problem, and definitely with the wrong resources.
Mary Beth Susman represents District 5 on the Denver City Council.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit or check out our for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
