How much can Arizona’s state universities charge students? There is a limit — but only on paper. The Arizona Constitution requires that instruction in the university system be “as nearly free as possible.’’
In 2003, John Kromko, then a Democratic state representative from Tucson and a student at the University of Arizona, cited that clause after the Arizona Board of Regents hiked tuition by a whopping 39.1%. He sued along with another student, charging the board had run afoul of the constitutional mandate.
The justices of the Arizona Supreme Court, however, were not about to step in. Andrew Hurwitz, then a member of the court, said he and his colleagues were in no position to decide that question.
Read more at Tucson.com.