Students in the Iowa National Guard could see 100 percent of their tuition funded by the state as soon as next year if legislators approve a proposed $1.8 million increase in Guard appropriations.

Gov. Tom Vilsack is calling for the increase, which would bring National Guard state funding to $2.9 million, despite a stretched state budget.

In 1997, the state began funding 50 percent of National Guard students’ tuition as a way to bring more people into the Guard.

“It’s really a recruiting incentive,” said Col. Vince Reefer, Iowa National Guard legislative liaison. “Our national surveys show that 98 percent of the people who join the National Guard today [do so] for educational and training benefits.”

Reefer said surrounding states, such as Wisconsin and Illinois, pay for all of National Guard students’ tuition, which is drawing students away from Iowa schools. More than 200 guardsmen left Iowa last year to get better educational benefits, he said.

Another reason for the increase in funding is the large number of students being called away from school to active duty.

Reefer said the number of Iowa Guard soldiers mobilized today, which includes more than 350 students, is at a level not seen since World War II. He said recruitment will remain a challenge for the Guard as long as the war on terror continues and students are called to serve.

“We think we’re going to have trouble keeping people in,” Reefer said. “It’s [an] all-volunteer force, so we’ve got to have some incentives there.”

Jason Schmall, freshman in engineering, is a member of the Iowa National Guard. He recently learned he will be deployed to Afghanistan.

Schmall said it would be helpful to have more tuition aid, but he didn’t believe 100 percent funding was necessary.

“[The Guard is] really not that bad,” he said. “It’s just one weekend a month and two weeks a year, [not] where any job couldn’t work around it.”

However, he said the financial aid he receives now through the National Guard is very helpful.

“That’s one of the key reasons why I joined, to help with college funding,” Schmall said.

Associate Registrar Carolyn Nading said students in the National Guard at Iowa State are eligible for both state aid and national aid, which comes through the GI Bill. The federally funded GI Bill provides different amounts based on different criteria, such as if a student has already spent time overseas.

A challenge to the proposal will be the estimated $300 million shortfall in revenue Iowa is now facing. Vilsack is calling for a tax increase to help fund education and health care proposals.

“We’ve talked to several legislators, and they all want to support it. It’s just that they don’t know where the money’s going to come from,” Reefer said. “In the grand scheme of things, this is a worthwhile program … after all, [students in the National Guard] are sacrificing, they ought to get something out of it.”

Rep. Jim Kurtenbach, R-Nevada, said he would support funding National Guard student tuition.

“I think that everyone understands that we have a commitment to our service members, especially those who have been taken out for over a year on active duty,” Kurtenbach said.

Kurtenbach said $1.8 million was not a large sum of money with respect to the entire state budget, making it a realistic proposal. Kurtenbach, who is a member of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said the proposal could be addressed as early as March.

Reefer said the same measure was proposed several years ago but didn’t make it through the legislature.

Iowa State has the most Guard members, at 164. The University of Northern Iowa has 79 and the University of Iowa has 77. Reefer said the majority of National Guard students are from community colleges.