Room for interpretation is leading to a courtroom showdown between the Attorney General's Office and the Arizona Board of Regents. Mark Brnovich has filed suit over rising tuition cost. Over the past 15-years tuition has jumped from about $2,600 to over $12,000 a year for in-state students. Arizona's Constitution mandates tuition must be as close to free as possible, which leaves a lot of gray area.
ASU's Vice President of Government Affairs, former Congressman Matt Salmon pointed out to 550 KFYI's Mike Broomhead Friday morning, the average family income of an ASU student is just under $50,000. He said "If were so out of line, how would that be the average income of the families of the students at ASU?" He also asked how do you end up having a top rate very high quality school and at the same time make it affordable?
Governor Doug Ducey is in the Arizona Board of Regents' corner when it comes to their legal spat with Brnovich. Ducey told "The Arizona Daily Star" that he is not a fan of lawsuits and that he and the Regents have worked hard to keep tuition as close to free as possible. The Governor says when government agencies sue each other the only ones who lose are taxpayers.