Despite Governor Ted Kulongoski’s efforts to reverse declining state financial support for higher education operations, the Oregon Legislature still isn’t ready to fully commit to the level of funding the governor thinks state’s university system needs.
Kulongoski kept the promise he made to thousands of university students, faculty and employees last December when he recommended a 16 percent increase over the last biennium’s Governor’s Recommended Budget for post-secondary education institutions.
Kulongoski asked for nearly $1.2 billion in the 2007-09 biennium to support the Oregon University System operating budget and capital, covering various aspects such as campus operations, increased faculty salaries and limited tuition and fee increases.
But evidently, that number was too high for the legislature.
Although Oregon currently ranks 46th in the country in per student funding according to the OUS, the legislature cut the GRB by nearly $300 million.
University junior Kristina Eichorn said it’s sad that the government doesn’t seem to think about the people who need that funding.
“They should be funding public schools more than they do,” she said. “It looks like school is not a high priority in the general government’s eyes, which doesn’t make students want to make school a high priority.”
The Co-Chairs’ Budget – Kulongoski’s budget revised by the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee – made some serious cuts to Kulongoski’s proposal. The committee reduced support for regional universities by $7 million; cut $1 million in base support for faculty salaries, heightening the faculty-student ratio, energy cost increases and enrollment growth; and, at great concern to the OUS, eliminated the $8.5 million incremental lottery fund requested for new capital, deferred maintenance and capital repair.
A direct result of that reduction is the OUS’ loss of its $24 million base budget funding for capital repair. That money would have been used for new building construction and renovation of existing ones. Additionally, the state financed bond funding request for the same purpose was reduced by 83 percent.
Oregon Senator Kurt Schrader, one of two leaders of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, said the state should borrow the money needed only for deferred maintenance and hold up on any new construction.
Di Saunders, OUS Director of Communications, said these cuts will be seriously detrimental to students.
“This capital construction is really critical and it’s a difficult thing to understand,” she said. “These buildings are being built for very serious academic research and capacity purposes. You need to balance taking care of what’s already broken and (building) new buildings.”
Representative Mary Nolan, the other Committee leader, said she would not support significant new construction if campuses are not able to maintain existing buildings.
“I think that only buys problems in the not-too-distant future,” she said. “We’ll just have a bigger collection of vulnerable buildings. The level of capital investment that we proposed for the next two years is the third-highest in Oregon history.”
Nolan also said the governor’s requests were based on money he hoped would be available, as opposed to money that actually is available.
Capital investment isn’t the only area facing obstacles.
Saunders also mentioned funding for regional campuses such as Western Oregon University and the Oregon Institute of Technology. These rural areas had $9 million set aside to alleviate some “serious financial issues,” but the Co-Chairs’ budget cut that number down to $2 million.
By cutting a total of almost $300 million from Kulongoski’s budget, Saunders said the Legislature reversed the “good first step” taken by the governor to finally give higher education the funding it needs.
She said if students stay in school after their freshman year it’s more likely they’ll graduate, hence the student support services and mentoring in place at universities. Unfortunately, those programs are hit hard by constant budget cuts.
“We’re starting to see a real fraying at the edges of the support systems that are there for the students,” Saunders said.
Ryan Hodges, a junior from California, said that as an out-of-state student he worries about declining student support. He thinks the state needs to focus more on education because it will result in a highly-educated government and nation.
“It’s kind of common sense,” he said.
Saunders said that for the first time in years, fewer freshmen are entering Oregon universities, and the state is witnessing decreasing retention rates at virtually every institution across the system.
“At this point our challenge is to meet with as many legislators as possible and be responsive to their questions,” said Saunders. “We’re hoping that we can get closer to the budget that the governor offered. That’s what OUS needs.”
There will be a public hearing next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Lillis Business Complex where students and community members are invited to make testimonies limited to two minutes.
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