A new Policy Matters Budget Bite is calling for $180 million more a year for higher education in the state of Ohio.

Governor John Kasich’s 2018-2019 budget includes a tuition freeze on Ohio’s public universities, reportedly due to the rising cost of college.

However; Policy Matters Ohio notes that is not enough.

According to a new “Budget Bite” from the agency, “the tuition freeze won’t address the root problem of long-term underfunding of public higher education.”

Also noted in a press release issued by the agency are additional details included in Kasich’s budget. According to the release, the proposal includes a one percent increase in State Share of Instruction (SSI), one of the largest sources of funding for Ohio’s 14 public universities, 24 regional branch campuses and 23 colleges.

“Ohio has committed to increasing the number of residents with degrees or credentials, but without enough funding for public institutions, costs will go up,” said Budget Bite author and Policy Matters Ohio State Policy Fellow Victoria Jackson.

The press release goes on to continue to quote Jackson: “On average Ohio’s lowest income families would need to spend 81 percent of their income to pay for one year of a public university. And most Ohio families, even in middle class, can’t afford college. So, two-thirds of the class of 2014 graduated with an average debt load of nearly $30,000.”

Policy Matters Ohio is urging state legislators to work to increase investment in SSI by about $180 million more per year.