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Metro's C&D showdown
Colorado is poised to be the first state in the nation to lose its public system of higher education if voters do not act now, according to Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff.
State Rep. Romanoff, D-Denver, and State Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, squared off during the second debate on campus over Referendums C and D, Oct. 17 in the Tivoli Turnhalle.
Colorado needs a highly-skilled workforce to attract new jobs to the state and boost the economy, said Romanoff, one of the architects of the referendums.
"Over the long run, there is no way we can continue to bring good, high-skilled, high-wage jobs to this state unless we educate our own kids," Romanoff said. "I think that rescuing institutions like Metro and the rest of our higher education system from the brink of extinction is probably the most important economic development strategy that Colorado can pursue."
Mitchell told the audience of around 75 students and faculty that tuition in Colorado is a bargain compared to what students are paying in other states.
"Some of us are going to have to pay more for college, but we are not going to lose our higher education system," Mitchell said.
He said the state needs to deal with higher-education costs-which have risen faster than the rate of inflation over the past two generations-instead of throwing more money at the problem and adding fuel to the fire.
"Somebody needs to do something to pressure the institutions to stop raising their spending so much more every year, pouring taxpayers' dollars into that fire," Mitchell said.
Cutting institutional spending is not a solution to the funding shortage in higher education because certain costs involved with running the institutions are rising too fast, Romanoff said.
"The costs of heating this building and paying for health care and the salaries of those that work here are rising too," Romanoff said. "If public support (for C and D) erodes and the institutions still face the challenge of increasing costs, the money is going to have to come from somewhere."
If passed, Referendum C would eliminate the spending limits on state government for five years. This would allow the legislature to spend $3.7 billion that would normally be refunded to taxpayers.
Referendum D would allow the state to borrow $2.1 billion against the money from Referendum C, which is earmarked for road and school construction.
Tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Care Tax Credit would be taken away if the referendums pass. The average taxpayer will lose around $500 in tax refunds over five years.
If the referendums fail, the legislature will be forced to cut an estimated $400 million from the budget, with a large chunk of that likely coming from higher-education funding.
There was a mixed reaction from students who attended the debate.
John Reynolds, a Metro senior, came into the debate with a neutral stand on the referendums, but left leaning toward opposing the measures.
"I am opposed to big government and I don't trust future government to handle my money," Reynolds said.
He said the possibility of a tuition increase concerned him, but elimination of tax refunds and credits would hurt him just as much as a tuition increase.
"I am the sole income provider for a family of five and how I am taxed and what tax breaks I get weigh into to it also," Reynolds said. "I think the tax credits offset the tuition increase."
UCD student Norm Frazier said he felt just as confused about the referendums upon leaving the debate as he did coming in.
Frazier said he still does not have an informed opinion, but that the potential tuition increases are a very important issue for him.
"If we don't have state funding for college, that's a problem," Frazier said. "Poor folks need a place to go to school, too."
Metro junior Michael Murphy said the debate confirmed his opposition to the referendums.
"Backers of the referendums are asking for a large blank check to solve small problems," Murphy said.
"They are trying to deal with a small problem in a larger way," Murphy said. "It's like trying to treat a hiccup with CPR."