College Credit Plus is a classic example of a good idea tarnished by poor execution.
College Credit Plus is a godsend to parents and students worried about how to pay for college, but it’s a nightmare for school districts left footing the bill.
It is also a state mandate, so the state should pay for it.
School districts should not have to pay. And taxpayers have already paid.
Click here to read more Blade editorials
Now in its second full year, College Credit Plus allows students to begin earning college credit as early as the seventh grade. In the first year, 52,000 Ohio students took part, saving more than $110 million in college tuition.
Some students will be able to earn enough credits to graduate from high school and enter college as a sophomore. That is a tremendous aid for families who are not wealthy or have not been able to save as much as they might have hoped for college. In other cases, it allows some teens who had no hopes of going to college the opportunity to do so.
In an era in which public higher education is more and more unaffordable and less and less attuned to the actual needs of students (like practical skills and a realistic chance of a good job upon graduation), College Credit Plus is a rare example of service and creativity. It’s a great program.
But there is a cost.
Last year, Anthony Wayne Local Schools paid $86,000 in tuition costs; Toledo Public Schools, $119,000; Ottawa Hills, $18,850, and Perrysburg about $170,000. Those expenses have skyrocketed this year as more students are taking part in the program. For example, in Ottawa Hills last year, 14 students participated. This year, the number is 55.
Plus, it is not just tuition. School districts are also responsible for books. That expense has been $7,262 in Ottawa Hills this year and more than $20,000 in Perrysburg.
The management — and fiscal — challenge for administrators is that they have no idea what the total costs will be. It could be $50,000 this year and $100,000 next year. Many schools, like Perrysburg, are asking voters to pass levies in November. Now, they are being forced to find ways to cover additional expenses.
“I look at it this way,” Perrysburg Superintendent Thomas Hosler said. ‘‘We have a bucket. The state and taxpayers put money in, but now holes are being poked in the bottom of that bucket. It’s challenging to know how big that hole will be. I can control the cost of paper clips or bus routes, but I can’t control these expenses.”
It is not a stretch to imagine that, at some point, schools may have to cut activities or find other cost-savings to cover the College Credit Plus expense. While this would be unfair to all the students, it would be particularly unfair to students who are not even participating in the program.
Kevin Miller, the superintendent of Ottawa Hills, particularly objects to the state sticking the district with the bill for textbooks, which can individually cost more than $100 and then become essentially worthless once the student finishes the class.
“The state mandates this program, so they should pay for it,” Mr. Miller said. “I do not think we should be responsible for the purchase of textbooks. We need to maybe look at families as far as purchasing the books.”
That is a reasonable request. Parents should at least chip in for the cost of books, and maybe schools also need to get a little creative. Mr. Hosler said Perrysburg is in talks with other districts to create a joint library, which will be filled with college textbooks that can possibly be passed on from year to year.
When it comes to tuition, however, schools should not be forced to foot the bill. If the state mandates the program, the state should pay for it. There is no better example of dysfunctional state government than unfunded mandates.
In July, the state of Ohio claimed it was doing so well that it was able to deposit $29.5 million in the “rainy day” fund. If it is doing that well, it should have no problem picking up the cost for a program it has required.
First Published October 14, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
