IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND AGAINST STRATEGIES THAT REDUCE PUBLIC INVESTMENT

WHEREAS, there has been a nationwide pattern of disinvestment in public higher education, such that per-student funding has dropped 26.1 percent between 1990 and 2010;¹  and

WHEREAS, this decline in public investment threatens our democracy, contributes to continued income and wealth inequality, and slows progress on undoing institutional racism; and

WHEREAS, the cost of public higher education for students has increased 5.2 percent per year beyond the rate of inflation for the last 10 years;²  and

WHEREAS, disinvestment has contributed to a greater reliance on contingent faculty, who subsidize the true cost of education through low pay, limited or no benefits and a lack of job security; and

WHEREAS, faculty salaries have stagnated, for example with the average full-time community college faculty salary in Washington state increasing by only $300 between 2008 and 2012;³  and

WHEREAS, the Pell Grant covered 75 percent of the expense of a four-year college education and 100 percent of a two-year college education 40 years ago, but today covers only 30 percent and 60 percent respectively;⁴  and

WHEREAS, some strategies being proposed to address these issues, such as the so-called Pay It Forward, will decrease further the public investment in higher education, resulting in a disproportionate effect on historically marginalized students:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will investigate legislative, policy and grass-roots solutions to public disinvestment in higher education, including but not limited to changes to student lending regulations, identification and analysis of new revenue streams, designation of mandatory instructional spending levels, etc.; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will ensure that its higher education affiliates are provided information to support legislative and policy efforts to increase public investment, including data, analyses and solutions, and are encouraged to take action to support solutions; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will pursue partnership with national organizations and facilitate partnerships among affiliates with local and state organizations that share the goal of increased public investment in higher education. 

¹  On the Backs of Students and Families: Disinvestment in Higher Education and the Student Loan Debt Crisis. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Teachers, April 2014, p. 9.
²  On the Backs of Students and Families: Disinvestment in Higher Education and the Student Loan Debt Crisis. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Teachers, April 2014, p. 9.
³  FY 2012-2013 Full-Time Faculty Salaries Comparison, by District. Olympia: Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/hr/2012-2013FTFacultySalarySurvey-FINA….
⁴  Goldrick-Rab, Sara and Nancy Kendall, F2CO Redefining College Affordability: Securing America’s Future with a Free Two Year College Option. Madison: The EduOptimists, April 2014, p. 6.