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[Note: This material is copyright by the Sioux City Journal, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Sioux City Journal.]

    But officials say it would not likely mean a rollback or freeze in tuition rates, which have jumped substantially because of steep state budget cuts since 2001.

    Culver has proposed an additional $40 million next year for salaries at the three regent universities and another $25 million in extra money for the operating budget.

    An additional $12.4 million would be sent to Iowa's community colleges next year.

    Gary Steinke, executive director of the Iowa Board of Regents, said Culver's proposal is the best he can remember from an Iowa governor.

    But Steinke said the additional funding would not mean an immediate reduction in tuition rates for students. He said the ultimate goal is to have less reliance over time on tuition from in-state students.

    "But that's kind of off in the future. We've had $80 million of cuts in the last six years, and so there's got to be a point that we stop that and then build back capacity into the universities," Steinke said.

    Culver spokesman Brad Anderson said the governor believes the new spending will lower the size of tuition increases in the future.

    "It will be a much less drastic increase than there has been in the past, and that's what the governor intends with this number," Anderson said.

    Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton, called the idea that funding boosts would not lead to a tuition drop "unacceptable logic" to him and voters back home. He pointed to what he called wasteful spending, including the stalled presidential search at the University of Iowa.

    "I think they need to get their fiscal house in order, especially at the upper levels of bureaucracy there, before they say that $25 million of tax dollars is not enough," Kaufmann said.

    Kaufmann, who is an instructor at Muscatine Community College, is pleased with the idea of increasing funding for community colleges but wants to see tuition lowered there as well.

    "Somewhere along the way it's getting lost," Kaufmann said.

    Greg Schmitz, president of Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, was pleased with Culver's proposal, but wouldn't rule out a tuition increase for students if it is approved by lawmakers.

    "This proposed increase in state aid will certainly help us minimize future tuition increases," Schmitz said in a statement.

    Troy Jasman, Dean of Administrative Services and CFO at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, said a funding boost would help pay for increases in salary and benefit costs at the college.

    "Every additional dollar that they give community colleges should help limit the (tuition) increases that we would have to do," Jasman said.

    House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said Democrats should honor their campaign pledges to keep higher education affordable.

    He said that if the budget proposal moves to the House floor, GOP members likely will offer amendments to apply funding increases toward lowering tuition rates for students.

    "We're just going to try to help them live up to their campaign promises if we're going to appropriate this money," Rants said.

    Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, also would like to see tuition rates lowered.

    "I've listened to a number of students and parents who are struggling to maintain with the high tuition costs. We want to make sure that kids have access to higher education that is affordable to them," Heddens said.

    Rep. Cindy Winckler, a Davenport Democrat who leads a legislative committee that oversees education spending, said she would want more details of how the money would be used before it is approved.

    "I think that those were the goals of the budget, to have an impact on tuition to stop the increase, the huge debt that our college students accumulate," she said.