Reactions keep pouring in following this week's student loan forgiveness announcement by President Joe Biden.

In South Dakota, the trade school community said affordability is on the mind of leaders right now, too. Biden's action means millions of borrowers are poised to see their remaining loan balances forgiven, with specific caps and income requirements. It's meant for those with a federal "Direct Loan."

Nick Wendell, executive director of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education, said it is likely some relief will go to trade school students. The two-year institutions are less expensive options, but Wendell pointed out they have dealt with similar operating headaches.

"The cost of everything over the last five years has increased, and we have felt some of that," Wendell acknowledged. "The cost of supplies, the cost of labor, the cost of managing our campuses and our buildings and our facilities has all increased."

In the face of those challenges, Wendell emphasized they have tried to control costs, including a recent tuition freeze, although there had been incremental increases since 2017. Still, the board argued the state's technical schools are a good option for future students worried about taking on too much debt, who can then enter the workforce without years of payments eating up their income.

Wendell suggested affordability should be addressed for all postsecondary schools, so the public sees the value of higher education, no matter which type of school a person attends. He stressed this week's action should not be the only approach to solving the problem.

"If we're not addressing some of the underlying factors, we're going to be back in this same position in five and 10 years," Wendell cautioned. "With a huge number of folks in our population that had to incur debt to get a degree."

Wendell pointed to South Dakota's scholarship program for trade schools, which has funding from industry partners across the state. He thinks education leaders should also be more specific about funding requests, in hopes of getting favorable responses from policymakers.

"To purchase big pieces of equipment, or create learning laboratories and environments [where] students will learn," Wendell suggested. "Those high-ticket items that might drive up the cost of a program and the cost of an individual college credit."

He added collective efforts could keep costs lower and not scare people away from considering higher education.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

After several weeks of public comment, bills addressing school finance in Texas will be presented to the House of Representatives.

House Bill 2 is the public school funding bill and Senate Bill 2 is the voucher proposal, along with its companion bill, House Bill 3.

Chandra Villanueva, director of policy and advocacy for the group Every Texan, said the proposed voucher initiative, which would provide students $10,000 to help pay for private school, would hurt public schools and low-income families.

"Our schools are funded based on attendance, so when kids leave the system, the schools will get less money," Villanueva explained. "Until you can actually close a campus, you still have all of your same fixed costs around utilities, teachers. You'll see more overcrowded classrooms."

Backers of school vouchers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have said public schools will not be negatively affected. This is the second legislative session where Abbott has made a voucher program his top priority.

Teachers, advocacy groups and even members of the Republican Party have spoken out against vouchers. Many Texas teachers spent their spring break testifying before the legislative committee. Villanueva emphasized although the proposal is out of committee, they are not giving up.

"Members need to hear from their constituents," Villanueva stressed. "The public education committee has been targeted the most -- but even now, if your member is not on that committee, they're going to be the ones who are hearing this bill. And a lot of amendments are going to be offered up on the House floor. So that's an opportunity to try to limit the voucher, try to put more guardrails on it."

Both bills are expected to be brought to the House floor at the same time, but a date has not been set.


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Nearly 22,000 Florida college students could lose critical tuition help under a state House budget proposal.

The plan would cut $3,500 annual grants for students at 15 private schools throughout the state, including three historically Black universities and Embry-Riddle, the nation's top civilian flight school.

House lawmakers tied eligibility for Florida's Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) program to five performance metrics, including a 54% graduation rate and affordability benchmarks.

Bob Boyd, president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, warned of fallout.

"It's going to really devastate our sector," he said. "These are students pursuing nursing degrees, becoming pilots, teachers, and they are going to - a lot of them will drop out of their high-demand degree fields because they're not getting this voucher."

House leaders have said their new performance metrics ensure accountability - affecting just 1.2% of Florida's higher-ed students. But Boyd noted that his schools produce 30% of Florida's nurses while getting just 2% of state funding.

Keiser University Vice Chancellor Belinda Keiser said the cuts would hit non-traditional students hardest - working adults, single parents and first-generation college-goers who rely on these grants.

"Thirty-five hundred dollars a year over the next four years will be taken away," she said. "That might cause some of those students pursuing nursing, pursuing Homeland Security, pursuing cyber - and we offer all those degrees - to drop out. And to me, talent should always be one of your best investments."

The Senate's budget fully funds EASE without new metrics, setting up a clash in the conference committee. Lawmakers must reach a deal by April 29 to allow the constitutionally required 72-hour budget review before the May legislative deadline.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Registration is open for the next information session for the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences at Texas Woman's University in Denton, where students accepted into the program will study to earn their pilot's license.

The school is the only woman-focused university nationwide with a professional pilot's program.

Clinton Grant, director of the school, explained the program.

"Once they go through all of the steps to get into the program and the semester starts within a week or so they're in an airplane flying," Grant noted. "It's not something they have to wait later as their junior (or) senior years before they get into it. We start them as quickly as we can. So it's a lot of fun."

The program is limited to 25 students in the fall and spring semesters. The next information session is April 11.

During the information session, Grant pointed out he tries to weed out the students who may not be serious about becoming a pilot. In addition to tuition and fees the cost of flight training could exceed over $100,000 and it can take up to seven years to earn a pilot's license.

"Most flight students, they'll become flight instructors," Grant observed. "They turn around and start teaching students to fly and that's how they build their hours. And then once they reach a certain amount of hours they'll be eligible to be employed by a regional carrier."

The aeronauts program is still in its infancy. The first classes were held in the fall of 2024. Grant added as they grow, they will have more options for students.

"We're going to get into some of the air mobility things as well as operations management or aviation management," Grant outlined. "There's a demand in the area for that. So, we will be heading in that direction next."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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