Iowa considers four-year degrees from community colleges
Why it matters: 11 Iowa community colleges sit more than 30 miles from the state's three public universities, leaving rural students who want a four-year degree pricey private options or none at all, per a report by Community Colleges for Iowa.
State of play: 42% of U.S. jobs are expected to need a bachelor's degree by 2031, per Georgetown University, but only 32% of Iowans have a bachelor's degree or higher, per the U.S. Census Bureau.
Flashback: Iowa Rep. Taylor Collins (R-Mediapolis) requested a study in the last legislative session to analyze the feasibility of community colleges offering bachelor's degrees.
The first part of the study was released earlier this summer, while the rest will be released Oct. 31, says Emily Shields, executive director of Community Colleges for Iowa. A recommended funding model is still being determined.
Zoom in: The study examined 13 states and showed that bachelor's programs offered at community colleges cost a median $4,820 a year nationally, roughly half the price of public universities.
Nearly half of U.S. states allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees, but the costs vary by state. For example, in Texas, community colleges could charge more for their upper-level courses, per the report.
The other side: A spokesperson for the Iowa Board of Regents, which represents the state's public universities, says they're waiting until specific recommendations are released before weighing in.
Between the lines: Shields says the goal of offering four-year degrees isn't to poach students from universities, but to help people who wouldn't otherwise get an advanced degree, especially if they have family, job or financial obligations that require them to stay home.
The four-year programs would likely target specific workforce needs, such as nursing or advanced manufacturing.
Zoom out: Illinois lawmakers are also considering a similar program, though some legislators are opposed to the measure.
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Shelby and Story counties to pursue U.S. Supreme Court action on local pipeline ordinance case
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'Thank you,' Webb said, noting that it's no small feat to decide to appear before the Supreme Court. 'No matter what, I'm behind you guys,' Webb said. Another landowner, Jan Norris who lives in Montgomery County and is a neighbor to the pipeline route, called the board a David standing up to a 'well-resourced and motivated' Goliath. 'Your constituents may not know how lucky they are, but I do,' Norris said. 'Because my board has chosen to play it safe and avoid the fight.' Norris and Webb have been active at their respective county supervisor meetings since they first learned of the Summit project several years ago. The pipeline would connect to biorefineries across the state and transport liquid carbon dioxide through Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and to underground storage in North Dakota. The two said the actions of the Board of Supervisors are important for maintaining local control and working toward standards they believe will be safer and better for their properties. 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In July, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which represents the state's public school teachers, joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the statewide voucher program that funds private education expenses for special education students. 'Even voucher programs like [this one] that are targeted to students with disabilities deprive them of crucial legal protections and educational resources,' the plaintiffs said in a legal brief. In Missouri, the state teachers union is suing over the MOScholars program, which started as a tax credit scholarship in 2021. It currently relies on nonprofits to collect donations that are turned into scholarships. Donors can receive a tax credit amounting to 100% of their contribution, but it can't exceed more than half of their state tax liability. This year, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe dedicated $50 million in taxpayer dollars for the scholarships and $1 million for program marketing, according to the suit. The Missouri National Education Association, which has 28,000 members, sued in June in an effort to block the appropriation. 'The General Assembly has far overstepped its authority and violated five provisions of the Missouri Constitution by using an appropriations bill to construct out of whole cloth a scheme to divert general revenues to what are essentially vouchers for the payment of private school tuition for elementary and secondary school students,' wrote Loretta Haggard, the union's attorney, in the suit. On July 30, EdChoice Legal Advocates — part of a national nonprofit that advocates for school choice — filed a motion to join the suit as defendants. Thomas Fisher, litigation director, said in a press release that the program helps Missouri families afford an education that fits their children's needs. 'The recent expansion of the program is constitutional and will expand education freedom for low-income families and students with learning differences,' he said. In South Carolina, the state Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that its Education Trust Fund Scholarship Program was unconstitutional following a lawsuit from the state teachers union, parents and the NAACP. The program resumed this year after lawmakers revised it to funnel money from the lottery system instead of the general fund. Unions have also been involved in school choice lawsuits in Alaska and Wisconsin. In 2023, National Education Association Alaska funded a suit over a state system that sent cash payments to the parents of homeschool students. That same year, Wisconsin's largest teachers union asked the state Supreme Court to hear its case challenging the constitutionality of the statewide voucher program, but the request was denied. Solve the daily Crossword
