Hot on the heels of mid-year budget cuts, LSU System administrators are preparing for an even heftier reduction next year.In a broadcast e-mail sent Friday, Chancellor Michael Martin said the System is preparing for a reduction in state funding between $44 million and $71 million for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. Martin said these cuts — between 19.6 percent and 31.6 percent of the System’s state general fund appropriation — could have “dramatically negative impacts on our students, faculty, staff, campus and all others we serve.”Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration told University officials, through the Board of Regents last week, that they are forecasting a proposed cut for higher eduction in Louisiana between $212 million and $382 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year, said LSU System spokesman Charles Zewe. The national recession and slumping state revenue from low oil prices have led to fiscal belt-tightening across Louisiana. The LSU System — made up of 11 institutions — is dealing with $29 million in mid-year budget cuts, which are expected to remain permanent and are included in Martin’s prediction for next fiscal year.The final budget won’t be decided until the Legislature meets in late spring, but University officials are busy preparing for a large cut. Zewe said all System institutions will likely see an increase in tuition and other student fees because of the large cut, while expenses like travel will continue to be reduced, and many empty faculty seats will not be filled. Zewe said layoffs are not being discussed.”These are dramatic reductions in state support and will require the campuses and units of the LSU System to respond with significant reductions and eliminations of services and programs,” said John Lombardi, LSU System president, in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “Louisiana will be much the poorer state if the required reductions are implemented, and even with increases in fees and other revenues that the University may be able to generate, the loss of capability will put a higher education system just on the verge of becoming viable, back into the realm of significant underdevelopment.”In the broadcast e-mail, Martin said University officials are exploring “every possible budget reduction that will avoid permanent damage to our academic core” and seeking input from the campus, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government. SG President Colorado Robertson said he and other SG members talked to Congressmen on Monday about the cuts. He said SG will meet with legislators to try to lessen the cuts. “The students are going to do their part, but the faculty and Louisiana legislators need to do the same,” Robertson said. “We don’t want to see the flagship sink.”—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]