It’s no secret that we need some fresh ideas to right the sinking ship of higher education in Wisconsin. Governor after governor, both Democrat and Republican, have fleeced the University of Wisconsin System’s budget to pay for other priorities or just lessen the tax burden on the state. State contributions have gone down substantially while the amount students pay continues to increase.

Gov. Scott Walker continues to tout his tuition freeze as a solution to help limit student debts but ignores one basic fact: the biggest cause of student debt is states’ dwindling investment in their public universities. In 2003, state dollars supported 27.33 percent of the UW System budget. In 2013, that number dropped to 19.24 percent. This is just the most recent segment of a more than 40-year trend of defunding higher education, but is an important part in getting to the root of student debt.

Tuition freeze ‘unsustainable’ solution to college affordability

While students nationally are bearing the brunt of this decreased funding, Tennessee is pioneering an innovative solution: free higher education for high school graduates.

The Tennessee Promise is billed as a solution to rising debt and as a gateway for more young students to access higher education, particularly those from lower income brackets or from areas which, traditionally, have much lower levels of educational attainment. The program offers graduates of Tennessee high schools free schooling at any of its 13 two-year colleges if the students can maintain a 2.0 or higher GPA while enrolled full time and commit to eight hours of community service per semester. Additionally, each student is assigned a mentor to help transition into the college lifestyle and answer questions as a friend rather than a teacher or parent.

It is important to note this is a “last-dollar” program which kicks in funds to cover the cost of education after other funding sources, such as scholarships and Pell Grants, have been exhausted. This helps minimize the cost to the state and maximize their limited resources. Initial estimates place the program’s cost at approximately $34 million annually, but it will be partially funded by transferring existing scholarship money into the program’s funding and using some state lottery funds to create an endowment where interest can fund the remainder.

Why can’t we do the same thing in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin, like Tennessee, has 13 two-year colleges and it would be relatively simple, as policy goes, to emulate the Tennessee program. While free education for high school graduates seems like a liberal pipedream for many, Tennessee, like Wisconsin, claims a Republican governor and Legislature, so clearly there is common ground to reach.

Breaking it down simply, the UW colleges currently receive $44 million from tuition dollars. However, with UW System college students receiving $33 million annually in financial aid (80 percent of those funds from federal sources), the cost to the state will be less than the $44 million amount.

The Tennessee Promise is promoted as a program to recruit students who typically pass on college, including lower-income and first-generation students. Increasing the pool of in-state talent not only creates a better work force for existing jobs, but new jobs will be created as a result of a more educated population. We could even improve on the Tennessee program by potentially subsidizing additional semesters if the students agree to stay in-state for at least a year after graduation. Currently, the UW System as an extension of the state offers many such incentives. One notable example is that graduates from the UW Law School are not required to take the bar exam to practice in Wisconsin. By adding some creative incentives into the program, we could ensure the best and brightest remain in Wisconsin and make new contributions.

Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam continues to praise the Tennessee Promise: “It is a promise we have an ability to make … net cost to the state, zero. Net impact on our future, priceless.” If Republicans in multiple positions across the country can push free higher education programs, why can’t Wisconsin’s Republican Party do the same?

A Wisconsin Promise is a promise we can, and ought to, make.