Have you heard that plans are moving ahead for the state to take over the Southern New England School of Law and for the UMass-Dartmouth campus to assume its operations?
It’s true – and this “gift” could end up costing taxpayers a lot of money.
Here’s the problem.
It makes reasonable sense for our state to try to add to its higher education portfolio by creating a public law school, but Southern New England School of Law is not an accredited law school. Accreditation is necessary to make a law school work long-term, and it requires a large investment of resources.
Southern New England School of Law doesn’t have the money for that investment, and that’s the whole reason they are interested in being taken over by the state. Unfortunately, our state doesn’t have the money, either. But if we make the law school part of the UMass system, and if tuition doesn’t increase to the point that UMass could fund improvements on its own, taxpayers will be required to fund whatever money is needed for accreditation later on.
State Senator Stan Rosenberg has introduced legislation to block a bailout of the law school by taxpayers. As pointed out in an editorial in today’s Boston Herald, his idea is a good one. We need to be fiscally responsible, even when it comes to accepting “gifts” of private law schools. While creating a public law school might have its merits, it’s simply not a priority for our state right now, and it’s not something to which we should commit taxpayer money.
What do you think? Do you think it’s worth it for our state to create a public law school despite the cost? Or are you concerned that bills will add up later on? I’d like to know what you think. Please post a comment below.
