‘We don’t need no education.’ No longer true for Georgia or U.S.

Things have changed a lot since that song was written by Roger Waters in 1979. If you don’t have a decent education, you will not find a job in today’s economy.

Only 57 percent of all people 25 to 34 years old with less than a high school education are even employed; the percentage is even lower for women. The figure is 86 percent for college grads. Median weekly income for workers without a high school degree is only $520 versus $1,173 for those with a college degree and $1,836 for those with a professional degree. Due to technology, in all likelihood this trend will continue.

Granted, a college education is not for everyone. Other types of educational opportunities (vocational and technical schools) must be provided.

But, what about young people coming from families of modest means who desire a college education? Yes, there are full scholarships for the exceptional few. But, what about the rest?

According to CNBC, “At public, four-year schools, tuition and fees cost about $9,139 this year. In the 1971 school year, they added up to less than $500 in current dollars.” That is truly an amazing cost escalation for low and middle-income students to bear.

The cost of higher education for students has created crushing debt for many who attend college today in America. Several decades ago, this was not the case. Tuitions were much more affordable before the tremendous tuition escalation of the past 30 or 40 years, some of it due to administrative overhead (such as non-teaching staff) as well as questionable bricks and mortar expenditures and student amenities. But, that is not the primary reason public college tuition is up. The most important factor is cost shifting from state government to students.

That earlier period was a time when public colleges and universities received greater tax support and they existed to serve students. Now it seems the students exist to financially serve higher education.

The question of tuition-free college, as is the case in Western Europe, is a legitimate one now in the face of the burdensome and ever-increasing cost of higher education. Our public schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade remain supported entirely by taxes, with no out-of-pocket tuition required. No debt is necessary for the students who attend public schools during these years.

If our society can create a system of debt-free education from kindergarten through high school graduation, why can’t it do the same for higher education? The answer is that it can do the same given the proper political will.

The Legislature in Georgia and others throughout the country must begin to act in a way that allows students from middle and lower economic classes to enrich their lives through higher education without the many years of debt.

A better educated population brings industry and business growth. In turn, that growth contributes to the tax base. It is not a coincidence that highly educated states like Maryland (median household income: $75,847) have income levels much greater than ours ($51,244).

When it comes to state and federal budgets, there are no easy answers. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development figures show that other developed nations are putting much less of their GNP into: a. defense spending (rapidly escalating here) and b. healthcare due to single payer and greater government control of their health systems. In turn, this has freed up money for education. For example, if Medicaid (a joint state/federal program) were abolished and Medicare for all were instituted nationally, the state of Georgia would be able to spend much more on education.

Adjusting our federal budget is a long-term process requiring political will. In the meantime, we must do two things in Georgia: Increase state funding for our public universities and examine higher education expenditures more closely to eliminate waste and unneeded expenditures.