February 09, 2015 04:30 PM UTC

Sen. Owen Hill, Your Edumacation Committee Chair

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• by: Colorado Pols

When the Republican members of the Senate Education Committee were first announced back in November, it didn't take a crystal ball to predict the nuttiness that was sure to ensue once the legislature convened in January. After all, we're talking about a single room with chairs reserved for the likes of Senators Tim Neville, Laura Waters Woods, and Vicki "Have You Seen My" Marble.

The young and ambitious State Sen. Owen Hill was tapped to serve as the Chair of the Senate Education Committee, a decision that probably wasn't too difficult for Senate President Bill Cadman when you consider his options. Hill certainly does possess an impressive academic resume, including an undergraduate degree from the United States Air Force Academy and a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California, but if early returns are any indication, he doesn't seem to know much about education policy in general.

In his most recent email newsletter to constituents, titled "The Government's Real Cost of Free," Hill makes a strong case for not being the Chair of an Education Committee. Here's what Hill had to say about President Obama's proposal for free tuition for two-year community college students:

Educational success is a bipartisan concern, one that I am eager to lead on and work across the aisle on in Colorado as chair the Senate Education Committee. [sic] We all desire to see our students succeed. What is troubling about Obama’s “free college” proposal and other policies coming out of Washington today is that they assume DC knows best, not individuals, local communities, or the states.

Since entering office in 2008, President Obama has implemented many plans to increase access to higher education. Yet, over the last year, thanks to the federal government’s help – “free and efficient” – student loan debt has  increased by 100 billion dollars.This is what happens when the federal government takes over a problem that is best handled by the states. Is there any reason to believe the same thing won’t happen for community college costs? [Pols emphasis]

Uh, what? Student loans and college costs are "best handled by the states"? How in the hell does Hill propose that states could take over student loan programs?

You don't need to be an expert in education policy to realize that this is obviously completely impractical on a broader scale. Colorado, for instance, has a very small student loan program that is funded almost entirely by grants. There isn't much room for anything else given the massive cuts to higher education funding over the last decade in Colorado. Hill also doesn't seem to really understand President Obama's college funding plan in general; instead of guaranteeing loans made by private vendors, Obama's plan would reduce costs by removing the middle man and making the government the lender.

Hill doesn't offer any sort of alternative idea before pounding the gavel about how higher education is not "the only avenue to prosperity" in America. This is a fair point (albeit one that has nothing to do with the original argument), but in order to support his statement, Hill provides a link to a story that actually has the exact opposite effect:

Instead of demanding a one-size-fits-all pathway for young adults to realize their career goals – as the President seems to be doing – we should be embracing the creativity of individual Americans to build our own success. 

This creativity is something I fight for every day in our State Senate, and I hope we can continue thinking about it together. Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal that has recently challenged my own thinking about education, and encouraged me as I see the ability of individuals to work hard and create success: The $140,000 a year welding job.  I'd love to hear your thoughts as well! 

The Wall St. Journal article that Hill points toward is behind a paywall, but here's the same story republished at Yahoo! Finance. Note the headline and subhead (image at right):

Justin Friend’s parents have doctoral degrees and have worked as university lecturers and researchers. So Mr. Friend might have been expected to head for a university after graduating from high school in Bryan, Texas, five years ago.

Instead, he attended Texas State Technical College in Waco, and received a two-year degree in welding. In 2013, his first full year as a welder, his income was about $130,000, more than triple the average annual wages for welders in the U.S. In 2014, Mr. Friend’s income rose to about $140,000. [Pols emphasis]

As it turns out, the guy making six figures a year in a welding job learned his trade…by attending community college.

Whoops! Ladies and gentlemen, your Senate Education Committee Chaiman, Owen Hill!