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Kansas Community College Speaks Out Against Federal Tax Reform

The Kansas Board of Regents holds its meeting at Wichita State University.
Stephan Bisaha
/
KMUW
The Kansas Board of Regents holds its meeting at Wichita State University.

The representative for community colleges in Kansas is warning the state Board of Regents that a federal tax overhaul could make higher education less affordable.

Dan Barwick, president of Independence Community College, says thetax bill passed by the U.S. House will make community college more expensive for students in Kansas.

"It has a number of provisions that either increase costs at community colleges or it decreases people’s ability to pay for their education," says Barwick.

One provision would eliminate the tax break for non-credit courses – courses adults often take to retool. Barwick says that would make it harder for individuals and employers to pay for retraining.

Barwick adds that the elimination of a program that lets employers cover part of their employee’s education expenses would further hurt working-students. 

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Copyright 2017 KMUW | NPR for Wichita

Stephan Bisaha is a former NPR Kroc Fellow. Along with producing Weekend Edition, Stephan has reported on national stories for Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as other NPR programs. He provided data analysis for an investigation into the Department of Veteran Affairs and reported on topics ranging from Emojis to mattresses.