By Robert Barron Staff Writer
Gov. Brad Henry vetoed Monday a measure that would have moved the ability to raise college tuition from the Oklahoma State Board of Regents to the Legislature.
The measure was approved by lawmakers during the special session that ended last week; however, Henry said the bill deviated from the special session agenda and made a major policy change with little study or discussion.
“The special session call focused on the state budget, not college tuition, so the legislation was clearly outside the scope of the agenda I outlined,” Henry said in his veto message.
“Furthermore, the measure was advanced as a surprise amendment to a budget bill that passed with al-most no discussion or debate. Policy changes of this nature deserve a much more thorough review than the one accorded to this piece of legislation.”
Lynn Smith, of Enid, a member of Board of Regents for Northern Oklahoma College, said he agrees with the governor’s actions.
“The regents at the various institutions around the state are well acquainted with their budgets and know the needs of their institutions,” he said. “They are mindful of providing high quality education at a reasonable price to our students.”
State Rep. Mike Jackson, R-Enid, said the measure will be brought up again next legislative session.
“I believe it will continue to be worked on. It’s something we have to work on to keep tuition affordable for Oklahoma students,” he said.
Many state residents expres-sed concern to legislators about the double-digit tuition increases in recent years, he said. The Legislature voted three years ago to allow regents to set tuition.
Since then, resident undergraduate tuition at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University has risen from $69.80 per credit hour in the 2002-03 school year to $95.40 at OU and $103.30 at OSU this past year. At regional universities, tuition rates ranged from $69.50 at Langston to $93.70 at the University of Central Okla-homa in 2005-06. UCO tuition was $72.50 one year before.
“I thought we got over the hump by passing it out during the special session. Unfortunately, it will take more work on our part to finalize it,” Jackson said.
He thinks the issue will be supported by both Republicans and Democrats. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Senate and House last week.
Smith did not address past tuition increases since he is new to the board.
“I think lawmakers got it right the first time when they voted to take politics out of the process and let the state regents make the call based on the needs of colleges and universities,” Henry said. “I haven’t seen a compelling reason to reverse direction and throw the tuition issue back into the political cauldron of the Legislature.”
OU President David Boren praised Henry’s veto as “courageous and statesmanlike action.”
Boren said everyone wants to keep tuition rates as low as possible “but to have the Legislature set tuition and fees for every college and university in the state would create uncertainty for parents and would turn the issue into a political football.”
“State after state has reformed the tuition-setting process by taking it out of politics. Had the governor not vetoed this bill, our state would have moved backward while other states around us would continue to make progress.
“It is clear that the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have been acting responsibly since we are today the two least expensive universities in the Big Twelve.”
Ben Hardcastle, communications director for the state regents, said the body has raised tuition fairly and within limits set by the Legislature. Tuition rates at OU, OSU and regional universities are comparable to those at similar institutions in other states, he said, and Oklahoma’s schools cannot have tuition greater than peer averages.
OSU President David Schmidly also praised Henry’s veto.
“This veto is in the best interests of all Oklahomans, and we appreciate the governor’s leadership on this matter,” he said. “While we certainly appreciate everything lawmakers have done for higher education this year, I believe the best decisions on tuition are made by those who work with the students and faculty on a day-to-day basis. It is always our goal to keep tuition as affordable as possible.”
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education meets Thurs-day. One agenda item is approving 2006-07 tuition and fees.
CNHI Oklahoma reporter James S. Tyree and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
