State Budget Cutting

From the Inquirer. Can cuts in K-12 funding be far behind?

Pa. universities facing budget cuts
By Susan Snyder Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Thu, Oct. 23, 2008

The 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, including West Chester and Cheyney, will be faced with some unexpected budget slashing in the coming months, courtesy of the cash-strapped state.

The state system's board today is expected to approve a request from Gov. Rendell to give back 4.25 percent, or about $22 million, of its state appropriation for 2008-09, which was $498.5 million.

Looking to next year, the board is also expected to put the state on notice that it will need a 5.7 percent hike in funding over the current year. The funding request is part of a proposed 2009-10 budget that the state system is required to submit to the state by Oct. 31. Under that proposed budget, the state system would increase tuition by 4 percent.

State system spokesman Kenn Marshall said the numbers were preliminary, and the state board won't vote on a tuition hike until July, after the state budget is approved.

The state system's committee approved the numbers even though economic troubles are looming.

"The feeling of the board is we needed to ask for what we needed. It's important that the legislature and governor's office knows this is what we really need to operate," Marshall said.

Earlier this month Rendell ordered a number of austerity measures to keep Pennsylvania's budget balanced, including directing cabinet secretaries to trim their spending by 4.25 percent.

State-related institutions, including Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln University and Temple University, were also asked to plan for 4.25 percent cuts in their state funding this year.

Temple announced it would institute a hiring freeze and restrict travel in response. Penn State will not fill positions, will hold off on equipment purchases, and will ask all departments to look for other efficiencies.

The state system universities will need to forego hires, defer maintenance, or make other cuts, Marshall said.

"It will be up to each university to decide how they do it," he said.

West Chester, one of the largest universities in the system, will lose about $2.4 million, and Cheyney, already struggling financially, will see a drop of $680,000. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the largest in the state system, will see the biggest fall - $2.7 million.

While Rendell asked the schools only to plan for a possible cut at this point, officials expect it will occur "unless things really turn around very quickly," Marshall said.