Both the resignations of Board of Regents President John Forsyth and La Porte City Regent David Neil on Jan. 20 and the coming expiration of two other regents’ terms has raised concerns in the Iowa Legislature regarding recent regent decisions — particularly its tuition recommendations.

Despite the changes in the board’s makeup, the Legislature should make every effort to see the tuition plan is adopted.

In November, the board OK’d a proposal recommending an annual funding increase of $40 million for regent universities for each of the next four years. Forsyth was the principal contractor of the proposal, which would also keep tuition increases low each year through 2009. On Monday, Gov. Tom Vilsack endorsed the regents’ proposal by including the $40 million allocation in his 2006 fiscal budget.

Already, one legislator, Rep. Chris Rants, R-Sioux City, has publicly expressed concern over the resignations and the changes that have been planned for the three state universities.

Despite the restructuring of the board, it’s important for the Legislature to remain focused on the proposed allocations and not on the new appointments of board members. The fact that the board is changing members doesn’t take away the good these allocations will do for both the state and college students.

Considering tuition has increased at the state universities by 68.2 percent since the 1997-98 school year, students deserve to be given a break on tuition. These allocations would give them that, no matter what new faces appear on the board.