Friday News Roundup: Week of September 5-9
Blog Post
Sept. 8, 2011
Bigger classes, fewer sections possible result of reduced Minnesota state funding for higher education
Reductions in state funding for public colleges in Minnesota may, in turn, affect students’ academic experiences, with bigger class sizes and fewer course sections available. The state shut down temporarily this summer until a budget compromise was reached, and the deal left the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system with 10 percent less over the next two years than they received in the previous two years. University of MN President Eric Kaler said the university is moving to larger classes and fewer offerings as a result of the cuts. Other schools have pushed the cuts onto administration; at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, the workforce was reduced by 10 percent to cover the 10 percent cut in funding for the school. Other university officials have said that the effects at the school can’t be known until mid-September, when the state college system takes a final census of the students. More here…
Indiana lawmakers: Tuition hikes hard on families
A hearing held by the Indiana House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee examined rising tuition at state universities. Republicans and Democrats stated that with in-state tuition set to jump from an average of 12 percent of income in 2000 to about 19 percent of average income by 2013, students are being priced out of earning college degrees. The heads of state universities, testifying in the hearing, argued that rising tuition is a direct effect of reductions in state funding for the schools; state aid for Indiana University has dropped from an average of $6,200 per student in 2002 to $5,500 in the latest biennial budget for fiscal years 2011-2013. University officials from other schools, including Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Ivy Tech Community College, concurred that state funding cuts have driven higher-than-recommended tuition increases. More here…
Schools chief seeks $61M share of Idaho surplus
Idaho Public Schools Chief Tom Luna submitted a budget request for the 2013 school year that requestsat least $61.7 million of the anticipated $180 million budget surplus in the next fiscal year for education funding. The request directs a third of that money to cover growth in student enrollment and to replace funding that would be taken from salaries to pay for new education changes, like teacher pay-for-performance and new investments in classroom technology. Those reforms were established by the “Students Come First” plan that Luna developed and Governor Otter signed into law earlier this year. The proposal also includes a 2 percent increase in discretionary funding for school districts. The $1.27 billion budget proposal totals a 5.1 percent increase in state general funds over the $1.21 billion appropriation for fiscal year 2012. The Idaho legislature will not convene until January, though, and budget projections could change before that time. More here…
Missouri Governor Nixon limits additional budget cuts for UM system to one year
For the 2012 fiscal year, Governor Jay Nixon made budget cuts to state colleges and universities as part of an effort to balance the budget and provide additional disaster relief funding. Beginning on July 1, most public colleges in Missouri saw cuts of 7 percent; but the University of Missouri system’s budget was cut by 8.1 percent, and Missouri Western State University saw cuts of 8.2 percent. Both schools responded by raising tuition for the 2012 school year above the cost-of-living increase they are permitted to make by law, according to the Governor; the UM system implemented a 5.5 percent tuition hike, and Missouri Western raised tuition by 9.5 percent. Governor Nixon announced this week that the cuts to University of Missouri and Missouri Western State will only be in place for one year. More here…