This year's report describing fee schedules at Ohio's public colleges and universities tells Ohioans a lot more than what it costs to attend classes. The figures we are releasing today make it clear that it is much easier for boards of trustees to hold the line on fee increases when the state's operating budget includes a strong appropriation for higher education. The fee increases for 1995-96 are among the lowest Ohioans have seen in about a decade. And we know that boards which did adopt the maximum did so only after taking a second vote to affirm the increase was absolutely necessary. Ohio's high fees are not the result of above-average spending by Ohio's public colleges and universities.
Studies consistently show that spending in Ohio is very close to the national average.
The high fees in Ohio reflect the fact that generations of Ohioans grew up in a time when a college education wasn't necessary to earn an income that could sustain a family. Public policy has reflected that reality, with higher education priced as a luxury.