All state parties must invest to move higher education forward

WASHINGTON'S four-year public universities should be allowed to set their own tuition rates, but no one, least of all legislators, should think tuition increases can make up for budget cuts.

Recommendations by a state task force call for tuition-setting authority to give higher education a more stable source of funding. Pairing that with a push to get more Washington students earning college degrees with a $1 billion private scholarship endowment helps low- to middle-income students.

Incentive for schools to ensure more students complete college help push important performance goals and accountability.