While the midterm elections are only a week away, many students are understandably focused more on their own midterm exams. However, the key issues in this year’s gubernatorial race have greater implications for students than any typical election cycle. Gov. Scott Walker’s record and commitment to maintaining a statewide tuition freeze, creating thousands of new jobs and balancing the state’s books while expanding our investments in state programs and services are three key areas students should take a look at before next Tuesday.
Under Walker, Wisconsin enacted its first ever tuition freeze in state history, while many students have unknowingly enjoyed this break from the ever-increasing costs of higher education over the past two years. Walker is the only candidate for governor committed to extending the freeze for at least another two years to come. This freeze comes after years of tuition hikes that ranged from about 5.5 to 9.3 percent annually. For the current college sophomore paying in-state tuition at University of Wisconsin, another term with Walker in office could save them more than $10,000 in tuition over his or her four year college career. For an out-of-state sophomore, that figure is more than $27,000. While many politicians today and in the past have, in good nature, promised things such as lowering interest rates on student loans to address the issue of rising costs to higher education, these policies do nothing to curb hikes in tuition or reduce the sum a student must ultimately pay and, in fact, they often further exacerbate the problem of rising costs in the long run. Walker’s approach is closer to the root core of the issue and provides tangible relief and assurance for students today and the future.
If you are like most college students, the prospect of landing a decent job once you graduate is probably on the top of your mind or at least on your radar. When Walker took office, Wisconsin had lost 133,000 jobs, unemployment was at a staggering 7.7 percent and only 10 percent of job creators believed our state was heading in the right direction. Common-sense reforms, in addition to investment spending, were introduced to create an environment which naturally encouraged and incentivized businesses to expand and hire and bring new businesses to the state. This approach has allowed our state to add more than 100,000 new private sector jobs. The latest numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development show that the state added 8,400 jobs in the last month and unemployment is down to 5.5 percent, the lowest since this time in 2008. Confidence in the economic outlook is a key determining factor in whether an employer will hire, and today, more than 90 percent believe Wisconsin is heading in the right direction.
In 2011, just as Walker took office, Wisconsin faced a budget shortfall of $3.6 billion as the result of the failures of a previous administration, of which Mary Burke was a part of, in responding to the recession. Stimulus support, which had been artificially propping up the state budget in lieu of reduced revenues, ended and Wisconsin’s budget outlook became dramatically bleak, seemingly overnight. Whether or not you agreed with his approach, Walker did what any governor would have had to do: balance the budget. But, he looked to sustain the minimal possible impacts on state services and resources without hampering job growth for a much needed economic recovery; no easy task. Tough decisions had to be made, but Wisconsin came out with the largest rainy day fund in state history. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau report shows our state ended fiscal year 2014 with a $443 million surplus. Budget surpluses have allowed us to invest more in state programs and services. On top of all of that, our budget successes have allowed us to return funds to hardworking taxpayers across the board, about $322 for the average family. It is incredible to think how far Wisconsin has been able to come in more than three years.
