Friday News Roundup: Week of April 4-April 8

Colorado lawmakers approve $250 million in education cuts for FY12

N.J. treasurer lists range of cuts if Supreme Court rules against Christie in schools funding case

Mississippi Gov. Barbour signs $423 million bond bill

Ohio Universities face an average 13 percent drop in funding next year

University of Arizona to use reserve funds to offer students $750 tuition rebate

Colorado lawmakers approve $250 million in education cuts for FY12
Colorado lawmakers reached an agreement on the 2012 state budget on Tuesday. The budget would restore some tax breaks for businesses, but also soften cuts to education: Lawmakers settled on a $250 million cut in K12 education from the prior year’s level, which is less than the other proposed amount, $332 million. The budget would also require that state workers contribute an extra 2.5 percent to their pensions, a measure many Democrats oppose but is less than the 4.5 percent Gov. Hickenlooper originally proposed. More here…

N.J. treasurer lists range of cuts if Supreme Court rules against Christie in schools funding case
New Jersey State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff testified before the state Senate budget committee last Monday, saying that New Jersey could face wide-ranging budget cuts targeting programs such as Medicaid if the state Supreme Court rules that more money must be set aside for school districts in the Abbot v. Burke case. The Abbot v. Burke rulings require that the New Jersey legislature provides equitable funding to poor districts in the state. During the three hour session, Treasurer Sidamon-Eristoff said the Christie administration does not have a contingency plan for providing more school funding if the Supreme Court orders them to do so. More here…

Mississippi Gov. Barbour signs $423 million bond bill
Republican Gov. Haley Barbour signed a $423 million bond bill today. The bill will fund over 100 projects, including nearly $99 million for universities. More here…

Ohio Universities face an average 13 percent drop in funding next year
Gov. John Kasich’s proposed Ohio budget includes an overall 2.7 percent increase in higher education funding, but the drop off in federal stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) will still leave universities with an average of 13 percent less funding than last year. Universities are discussing tuition increases, though they are currently capped at 3.5 percent for each of the next two years. Broken down by the type of institution, state funding would increase 7.6 percent for community colleges, 2.7 percent for regional campuses, and 1.2 percent for four-year universities. More here…

University of Arizona to use reserve funds to offer students $750 tuition rebate
Tuition at University of Arizona will increase by approximately $1,800 next year, but undergraduate students will also receive a $750 rebate on their tuition. Fees will be set at $10,350 for Arizona residents, a 22 percent increase from last year and over twice the amount residents paid five years ago. The Board of Regents voted 7-2 in favor of using reserve funds to offer undergraduate students the $750 rebate off of the $10,350 tuition, instead of using the funds toward both tuition and other rising costs (such as employee benefits). The University of Arizona is facing a $100 million budget gap for FY 2012, including $78 million in state budget cuts. More here…