Senate looks at funding cuts for low-earning degrees

By Noah Symes, Missouri News Network
JEFFERSON CITY — A bill that would prohibit state funds from going towards “low-earning” degrees was heard in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1617 would cut state funds for student financial aid and operational costs for students in programs where graduates do not earn more in their field than someone with only a high school diploma in that same field.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, said the bill falls in line with new federal regulations and a federal earnings test, which evaluates what is considered “low-earning.”
“It’s a good way of weights and measures to ensure that whatever we’re subsidizing and investing money in, is one that’s going to actually pay off dividends for these students,” Brattin said.
Under the bill’s provisions, if a degree program, on average, does not generate earnings for its recipients greater than those of non-degree holders for two out of three years, those programs would be considered “low-earning.”
Grace Desjardins, the legislative director of the Associated Students of the University of Missouri, testified against the bill. She cited concerns over the short timeline that the bill provides students.
“Many fields like education and research, the fields that I intend to do in the state, do not show their economic value four years after completion,” Desjardins said.
Desjardins said that graduates’ earnings are only measured for up to four years after graduation. She argued that this could spell trouble for programs that require further training or experience before seeing full earnings, adding, “Nursing programs often require additional licensure and experience before wages rise.”
Desjardins said that while she believes the bill has good intentions, it would only complicate students’ academic journeys due to fluctuating funding statuses.
“A program could be more fundable one year and less the next,” Desjardins said. “That uncertainty makes it harder for students in Missouri to plan.”
Brattin said he also brought the bill due to his concerns about the growing student debt problem nationwide, and added that his bill “is not prohibiting any degree program from being offered.”
According to the fiscal note included with the bill, if implemented, it could save the state over $25 million. Brattin equates this to 645 students in the first two years, “that would potentially be saved from this riddled debt.”
“This is just ensuring that if you’re going to take these, you know, going eyes wide open into what you’re getting into,” Brattin said.