Free tuition isn’t the right answer
Jack Chambless’ op-ed (Aug. 17) regarding the unintended consequences of free college was quite insightful. College campuses would, indeed, need to increase in size. Already in California, they are clamoring for more money from the Legislature to meet the needs of current students.
His most telling argument for me was that too many students don’t even avail themselves of the free K-12 education. Why would college be different? An influx of ill-prepared and poorly motivated students would tend to “dumb’ down” the student body, leading to disappointment; reduced academic rigor and even more “graduates” who are ill prepared to pursue a career.
Work to make tuition reasonable, but “free” isn’t the answer.
Ruth Smith, Porterville
This story was originally published August 20, 2016 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Free tuition isn’t the right answer."