Capping Tuition Costs

The Badger Way

Perhaps the University of Minnesota and the state legislature can learn something from our neighbors?

From Pioneer Press:

Democrats propose 4 percent tuition cap for UW

Associated Press

Article Last Updated: 08/09/2007 06:46:22 AM CDT

MADISON, Wis. - A day after University of Wisconsin System regents voted to raise tuition by 5.5 percent, Democratic lawmakers backed a Republican idea and proposed a 4 percent tuition increase cap.

The cap and the restoration of $127 million to the UW System budget were proposed at Wednesday's meeting of at a bipartisan committee of lawmakers working on a state budget compromise.

The committee is expected to debate the proposal today.

The tuition cap was part of the Republican-led Assembly's budget but was not included in either Gov. Jim Doyle's budget or the plan passed by the Democratic-controlled budget.

"If there's a complete cap on tuition, then there needs to be a major investment in funding for the university to make up for that," Doyle's spokesman Matt Canter said.

UW System spokesman David Giroux said the proposal was a "good first step toward compromise."

"It was good to hear leaders from both houses say they're ready to work in earnest to craft a good budget for our university and one they could both support," he said.