There are some changes that affect higher education in Gov. Paul LePage’s budget.

Some are innovative and may significantly increase the number of high school students who go on to a two- or four-year degree.

LePage suggests high schools provide an extra year of school so a student can graduate not only with a high school diploma, but also with an associate’s degree — making him or her eligible to go right into the university system with course work that will transfer without difficulty.

This is an innovative approach — if it can be done without sacrificing the needs of the general high school population financially — because the biggest problem in getting students into the university system — and keeping them there — is money.

Shaving two years of tuition off the top, and graduating students at age 21 rather than 22, would cut the amount of financial risk these students would have to take on to complete their educations. And that could keep more kids in Maine.

This is important to the health of the state in general, because many students go off to college in other states and never return. The reason is clear when one considers the cost of a state education in other states.

Annual in-state tuition for the California State University system for a full-time student is $5,472. There are a few student fees — and housing, books and tranportation costs — but, typically, a California student can get a very good education, along with room and board, for about $11,000 per year. Even out-ofstate students would pay only about $250 extra per credit unit per year.

Maine’s tuition at Orono isn’t that much higher: It’s $5,600 for the year for a full load.

However, other costs are much higher, and state grant support for students is lower. And because most students are obligated to live on or near Orono — not centrally located to where most students live — room and board must be taken into account.

A year’s tuition, student fees, and room and board at Orono is then closer to $16,000.

A student who lives in or near one of Cal State’s university towns and commutes to school pays just $5,472 — and is often given a state scholarship to meet those costs.

The result is that fewer students take out risky student loans in California, most hold jobs throughout school, and the four-year graduation rate is significantly higher than Maine’s — an average of 52 percent in California state universities compared to 36 percent here.

California also has community colleges in nearly every community of any size, where students can prepare for university life for two years. The courses are designed to apply to Cal State’s requirements, so no course work is lost in the transition.

Community college costs there are much less than here.

For instance, City College of San Francisco charges $46 per credit unit, and there are no additional fees. A student taking 12 units would pay just $552 for a semester of classes, even if he or she did not qualify for financial aid — and most do.

Compare that to Maine community college costs — $86 per credit unit, almost double what a similar course load would cost in California.

What is Maine doing so differently that Maine students too often weigh the cost-benefit analysis and attend school out of state?

UMaine’s financial aid packages are comparatively low, and lower in many cases than private universities would be for the most highly qualified students. That is, a student who wanted to stay in Maine and go to his or her state university may not be able to afford it if Harvard or Columbia offered a better package. So Maine is not attracting the most highly qualified students, who are often given a better deal elsewhere.

Maine also doesn’t offer graduate course work many students are seeking. The state university does not have a dental college, for instance. It doesn’t have an accredited medical school of its own — the University of Maine’s medical program is run by Tufts University. Orono threatened to do away with its school of public administration two years ago, before the Muskie School was fully accredited. In the end, it did not, but if it had, Maine would have been the only state in the country without this vital program. As it is, students have to shuttle back and forth between Orono and Augusta for needed classes.

The biggest obstacle to keeping students in Maine is the cost.

In a state where the median family income is $47,000, most families simply cannot dedicate a third of their pretax income to a single child’s education.

To counter the teenage brain drain, Maine must provide more and better financial aid packages to its brightest students and try the associate’s degree program at the high schools.

However, that’s only half the equation.

The other half lies in the work that must be done to make sure the students remain here after graduation — and that means businesses must get involved.

GINA HAMILTON, of Bath, is editor of the New Maine Times. She welcomes emails at [email protected].