Provo Daily Herald
Thursday, February 02, 2006

One of the greatest ideas in Utah education has been concurrent enrollment.

For the past 10 years, the state has offered high school students the opportunity to take college classes for dual credit at both levels. In some cases, students have earned associate degrees by the time they got their high school diplomas.

But it seems the program has become a victim of its own success. The growth of the program is creating a financial strain on the state. The Legislature only allocates $30 a credit hour for concurrent enrollment. Of that amount, $10 goes to the colleges, but it costs the colleges $20 a credit hour to do the program.

With more than 26,000 students enrolled, the financial strain is becoming too much. Utah Valley State College officials warn that if expenses continue to outstrip revenue, the program's quality will be jeopardized.

Rep. Margaret Dayton offers a solution: Charge students for the program. Currently, students do not pay for the program, but the Orem Republican is sponsoring legislation (House Bill 151) that would allow colleges to charge students up to $30 a credit hour to participate.

This would solve the financing problem. If students paid $30 per credit hour last year, the state would have received $5.3 million to put toward the program.

Paying a fair price gives students greater incentive to carry through with classes. It is harder to drop out when your investment is at stake. Thirty dollars a credit hour is not a high price for college classes. At UVSC, a 3-credit class costs regular students $491. Is there anyone who wouldn't prefer to pay $90?

But $30 per credit hour may be too much for some families, and since the tuition would be paid directly to the college, it does not come under the fee-waiver rules that govern public education programs. State education officials warn that this could keep some low-income students from participating.

This is a concern that needs careful consideration. Concurrent enrollment is not a program just for rich kids. For some students, concurrent enrollment is the difference between remaining in poverty and acquiring real tools to improve their lives. The more education one can get, the higher the earning potential. A high school graduate can expect an average salary of $18,571, while simply adding an associate's degree pushes it to $26,536. A student with a bachelor's degree can expect to make an average of $40,387.

Concurrent enrollment not only benefits the students but the state as well. If Utah schools produce more college graduates, the state will attract more high-paying businesses, which improve the economy and provide more tax revenue for other state services.

Dayton deserves praise for initiating the discussion about preserving the concurrent enrollment. The debate must include measures to ensure students are not barred because they cannot pay. There may be a way to provide scholarships for students, or put the fees on a sliding scale based on family income.

We urge the Legislature to carefully consider its options. But by no means should the program be allowed to fail.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5