Higher Education Vouchers in Ohio: A Proposal for 'CollegeChoice' Program
Access, affordability, and accountability loom large as issues facing
higher education in Ohio. Ohioans want to have access to higher
education, they want it to be affordable, and policymakers providing
money to higher education institutions want these schools to be
accountable for these funds. These are all reasonable expectations, but
there have been no clear ideas on how to go about achieving them.
The Board of Regents, for example, supports a plan giving it power to set tuition rates at Ohio schools. It should come as no shock that a government agency would support legislation giving it more power. But is this the best way to control tuition increases? Similarly, there have been discussions in the General Assembly about forcing schools to provide more data about how they spend state money. But is more paper-keeping the ideal solution for this problem?
What most of these plans have in common is that they would increase the power of educational bureaucrats in Ohio. The thought seems to be that if only government had more control over higher education in the state, then all would be well. Since these ideas come from those who would be getting the power, this makes perfect sense.
Instead of empowering government, however, the state should consider empowering students. Colorado has already done this by eliminating state support to higher education and instead providing a voucher to Colorado students who attend an in-state public institution of higher education.
Ohio should consider a similar system, a 'College Choice' program, but allow all students in the state - whether they attend a public or private institution - to receive money to attend the college of that student's choice. Only by giving more power to Ohio's students can the state truly address the problems that are plaguing Ohio higher education.
The full report is available here.
Marc Kilmer is a policy analyst with the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a research and educational institute located in Columbus, Ohio.