U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)
A Wisconsin Congressman says making college more affordable for students needs to be a top priority. U.S. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) says that’s why he’s promoting a college affordability plan, which would allow students to consolidate and refinance student loans and set repayment levels based on income.
Kind was on the UW-Eau Claire campus Tuesday to talk about the legislation, where he also weighed in on proposed state cuts to the University of Wisconsin System. He called Republican Governor Scott Walker’s plans to cut $300 million in funding to the UW over the next budget biennium troubling.
Kind said “The university has been one of our locomotives for job growth and good-paying jobs here in the state, and that could jeopardize all of it, so I think we all need to be thinking creatively about how do we keep higher education more affordable for all students.”
The Wisconsin Democrat noted the cuts make it harder and harder to call the UW a “public institution,” since the state share of operational costs continues to fall below 50 percent. He also warned that the cuts being proposed by the governor will make it hard for campuses to recruit and retain top talent, which is needed to set them apart from other institutions.
WAYY