The Louisiana Legislature approved a budget increase June 23 for secondary education for the eighth straight year.
Louisiana’s fiscal year 2003-04 budget, approved on the last day of the legislative session, provided $59 million for secondary education, said Kevin Hardy, Board of Regents communication director.
Charles Weems, LSU Board of Supervisors committee member, said any new money the University receives will be used to increase the quality and quantity of faculty.
Weems said this is designed, in part, to give students a larger variety of sections from which to schedule.
Weems said the board has not discussed the budget increase, but it will be a topic of discussion at either the July or August meeting.
Almost $40 million of the budget will be allocated to items such as required classified staff pay increases, increased health insurance premiums, increased general insurance costs and increased retirement system contribution rates, Hardy said.
Hardy said the $59 million budget allocation is a 5.6 percent increase from the budget provided last year.
However, the $59 million is not etched in stone yet.
According to a Board of Regents press release, Louisiana’s public colleges and universities may have to absorb an across-the-board budget cut estimated at $8 million.
Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, said early in this year’s legislative session much discussion existed about possible “devastating” cuts to both higher education and health care.
Dardenne said federal relief from President Bush’s tax cut provided the state with unexpected funds used for both higher education and health care.
Joe Savoie, commissioner of higher education, said in a press release that even with the expected budget cut, Louisiana is going against a national trend of drastic cuts to higher education.
“In fact, according to a recent national survey, with all but eight states reporting for 2003-2004, Louisiana is a national leader in increased funds allocation to higher education,” Savoie said in a press release. “Our campuses have worked hard to maintain the confidence of state leaders.”
The budget will provide $5.25 million to assist four-year institutions as they transfer to new admission requirements.
Weems said the new admission requirements do not apply to the University because its admission requirements already are among the best in the state.
The budget also will provide $1 million to support additional research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Savoie said the legislature’s decisions “will pay positive long term dividends for the state.”
Another major accomplishment of the legislative session was the passage of a tuition policy bill, Savoie said.
The tuition policy bill is designed to align tuition and fee policies with state-funded student financial aid programs to assure affordability at Louisiana colleges and universities, Savoie said in a press release.
Savoie said he is appreciative of the money the legislature granted.
“Our state’s leaders invested in the long-term health of our state through their support of our colleges and universities,” Savoie said in a press release. “It is clear that they remain committed to education as the key to sustainable social and economic progress for Louisiana.”
While funding higher education increased this year, next year’s budget does not look as positive.
Dardenne said the he does not think federal funding will save higher education and health care like it did this year.