Bill could beat tuition trap

San Bernardino Sun 2/5/07

Proposed legislation that would give parents the opportunity to pay current tuition rates for children that, in some cases, won't reach college age for more than a decade is postive news in light of California's skyrocketing education costs.

Assembly Bill 152, authored by Jim Beall, D-San Jose, mirrors prepaid-tuition programs adopted by 18 other states, and works by allowing families to pay into an interest-bearing account to cover tuition for future college students based on today's prices.

With UC tuition and fees quadrupling since 1991, along with an additional $500 increase proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, AB 152, if passed, could prove invaluable for middle-class families struggling to keep pace with rising college costs.

And although the program could leave the state subsidizing myriad college educations if tuition shoots up too high, AB 152 is at least worth a shot.

The state that has made affordable higher education part of its master plan should try to keep that promise. And AB 152 provides that chance.