Given the potential cuts to higher education funding in Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget, the past few weeks have given public colleges little to celebrate.
Fortunately, a California Assembly Bill could provide hope to United States military veterans in the form of tuition assistance. But while there are some concerns about financing the legislation, the end reward of its passage will outweigh its potential costs.
Until last August, this bill was unnecessary. In that month, the Post-9/11 GI Bill ““ also called GI Bill 2.0 ““ went into effect, part of which ceased federal subsidies for veterans’ out-of-state tuition. Now it is up to individual states to grant residency status to veterans pursuing a college degree within its borders.
The golden state is poised to be the fifth in the Union to offer veterans in-state tuition. Assembly Bill 2250 would give one year of in-state tuition to all honorably discharged veterans as they establish residency in California following at least 36 months of service. It would subsidize the cost of California community colleges, California State Universities and the University of California.
Essentially, this bill is meant to support veteran education while providing incentives for servicemen and women to relocate to California.
Assemblyman Chris Norby (R-Fullerton) co-authored AB 2250 with Beth Gaines (R-Rocklin) after the issue was brought to Norby’s attention by an aid working in his office.
Justin Turner, a legislative aid to Norby who also works with veterans in Sacramento, said he met a veteran who was paying out-of-state tuition for a California community college. The man grew up in California and had moved to Arizona while in the service.
“He was paying $3,000 a semester, out-of-pocket, for a community college. That’s not right,” Turner said.
Indeed it isn’t. Not because this veteran grew up in California but because he is a veteran. Any men or women who serve this country ought to be aided however possible as they pursue higher education, and AB 2250 is an effective way for California to provide that aid.
California’s assembly persons have, so far, widely supported the bill. Both the higher education and veterans affairs commissions gave the bill unanimous approval, sending the legislation directly to the appropriations committee before it reaches the General Assembly.
Admittedly, AB 2250 will not come without cost, most significantly in the form of revenue losses for California’s higher education institutions. Rough estimates of annual losses near $1.5 million for the UC system, $280,000 at CSUs and $400,000 at community colleges. The state will reimburse colleges for these costs, effectively shifting the lost revenue from higher education to the state government.
However, according to a representative in Norby’s office, this bill could end up increasing UC revenues. As of now, the handful of veterans attending UCs provide $90 million in annual revenue in the form of tuition. Turner said that he and Norby hope that amount will increase as in-state tuition benefits attract more veterans to the California schools.
The thought goes something like this: currently only a handful of non-resident veterans attend UCs and if California grants all veterans residency then more non-resident veterans will apply, therefore increasing the number of enrolled veterans and adding thousands (maybe millions) to the UC revenue stream.
While more non-resident veterans will apply to UCs, the increased numbers will still remain relatively low. Currently, only a few dozen out-of-state veterans attend UCs and even this benefit is unlikely to attract droves of additional applicants.
Indeed, California will take a loss once this legislation is first implemented; colleges will have to eat about $20,000 per non-resident veteran. However, in the end, this legislation will have a net positive increase in UC revenues despite initial reductions.
Furthermore, AB 2250 could support other California industries as veterans seek housing and take out school loans. As such, the bill will ultimately benefit not just veterans, but the schools and towns they move to.
Most importantly, AB 2250 provides America’s veterans with a well-earned pathway to academic advancement. Those few who are brave enough to fight for their country ought to be provided an opportunity to afford quality education.
UCLA’s Office of the President has not yet taken a position on the bill. That being said, Dianne Klein, a representative of the president’s office, emphasized that the legislation had been suspended in the appropriation’s committee. She noted the bill is far from a vote in the General Assembly.
At the end of the day, these logistics are extraneous. I realize that the numbers matter and need to be discussed; it would be far easier if the federal government would reinstitute its non-resident subsidies. But this bill means more than a balance sheet. We are talking about supporting those men and women who have put their education on hold to serve us. Yes, the state economy is struggling, yes, additional costs are hard to swallow; but at some point we need to fight for those people who deserve our respect and support. If nothing else, we are obliged to provide this benefit in-kind for that service.
Our just course is to pass AB 2250 and fortunately, our assembly seems to be of the same mind.
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