By Eric Kelderman
The U.S. secretary of education, Arne Duncan, took states to task on Thursday for cutting spending on higher education, saying state lawmakers were being “penny-wise and pound-foolish,” and were undermining their own economic growth.
In a speech at the annual policy meeting of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, Mr. Duncan noted that during the recent economic downturn, only four states have increased what they spend, per-student, on higher education. “Disinvestment is not the strategy that other countries are choosing,” he said, comparing the United States’ approach to that of China and Singapore.
The result is that tuition has gone up to replace the state dollars, and middle-class families, especially, are being squeezed by college costs, Mr. Duncan said, citing the association’s recent annual report, which noted that in 2011 state and local spending on higher education hit a 25-year low. “Higher education should not be a luxury for those who can afford it,” he said.
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