Partners’ president Dr. James Toscano was recently featured in an article by Washington Post covering the successful effort by Virginia state lawmakers to financially incentivize all public colleges and universities in the Commonwealth to freeze in-state tuition and fees. This year, the Virginia General Assembly allocated an additional $52.5 million in additional state funding for tuition moderation, requiring public institutions to freeze tuition for Virginia undergraduates in order to quality for their allotment. 

In the article, Toscano weighs in on the impact the “fund and freeze” effort has on Virginia students and their families and this emerging pattern across the country.

“‘It’s a really significant victory for students and families in Virginia,’ said James Toscano, president of Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust. And not just because of the money families will save, he said: It also reshapes the conversation about college affordability in the state.

“‘While free-college proposals have dominated the headlines, many state legislatures across the country have quietly gone back to the business of restoring state funding levels’ that had been cut after the Great Recession, Toscano said. As state revenue has recovered, investment in higher education is again being considered, he said. But lawmakers are realizing that increased funding should come with protections for consumers,Toscano said.

“Several states have recently passed funding increases tied to caps on tuition, he said,a sign that states recognize their responsibility for funding public institutions — and that they recognize consumers ‘have reached a pain point that is greater than they can bear.’”

Read the full article HERE!