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Talking Points From HEAA and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) |
- Tuition equity in Colorado is simple...It is good for our economy, it strengthens our communities and it keeps us competitive among neighboring western states. Tuition equity is not a matter of generosity-it is an economic development strategy that will help bolster the state's economy.
- States with a large percentage of college educated residents have higher productivity, and are more likely to attract high-growth industries including biomedical, software and new energy economy companies. Colorado has the second highest percentage of college graduates in the nation, but ranks 32nd in sending our own high school graduates to college. This discrepancy, known as the "Colorado Paradox" has implications not just for education, but for the need for public benefits and the fitness of our economy. The initial investment we make in the education of undocumented students is wasted if talented students do not have the opportunity to pursue higher education and ultimately give back to our state.
- As federal law requires, Colorado invests resources in K-12 education for undocumented students only to watch them hit a brick wall as they realize college is not a possibility. Undocumented students are ten times less likely to attend college than their peers and often drop out of high school because they see no hope of furthering their education.
- Tuition equity is not a free pass to college. It just gives all kids who have graduated from a Colorado high school the chance to pay in-state tuition. All students have to be accepted to a college or university, meaning that only qualified students will benefit. Tuition equity offers opportunity to talented students who are eligible to go to college based on merit but for whom the out-of-state cost of college is prohibitive. A chance to go to college means they are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to become a tax burden. Tuition equity helps keep Colorado's economy competitive - by providing industries with a well-educated workforce and keeping up with the education policies of other western states.
- Ten other states have passed tuition equity legislation, most of which are western states: California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington. In California and Texas- two of the first states to implement tuition equity legislation- research found that the costs associated with tuition equity were dwarfed by the spending on social programs and higher rates of crime that would result if nothing was done. Colorado is just one of three states, along with Arizona and Georgia that explicitly does not allow in-state tuition for undocumented students.
For more info, please visit www.heaacolorado.org or call Julie Gonzales, Political Coordinator at CIRC
303-893-3500x109 |
