After an academic year full of budget wrangling and political positioning, the final fate of higher education funding will be decided during the summer break.
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget, proposed early this semester, keeps the level of funding for higher education at the same level next year.
University administrators welcomed that news after receiving wildly varying estimates of potentially catastrophic cuts last semester.
Going into the fall semester, administrators prepared for a hypothetical 23 percent cut in state funding. In the first week of classes, the Jindal administration instructed them to prepare for a 32 percent cut.
Chancellor Michael Martin said at the time such a cut would be “ruinous to future generations.”
While ominous cuts loomed, the fall semester also marked the announcement of a midyear budget cut.
Tax revenues were lower than expected in the fall, creating a $108 million state budget gap and forcing the Jindal administration to cut higher education funds partway through the fiscal year.
LSU administrators originally submitted a plan to cut $2.2 million from the University. But the next week, the LSU System decided to spare cuts to research institutions at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the LSU AgCenter, passing the budget burden to teaching institutions — including LSU.
The next Monday, administrators were told the cut had grown from $2.2 million to $5.1 million.
“I am glad that Pennington and the AgCenter have been helped,” Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton said in a news release at the time. “But I am disappointed that this cut is proportionally much higher for the LSU System — and LSU — than for other higher education institutions in the state. That is unfair to our students.”
In January, at the start of spring semester, state officials indicated budget cuts could be less grave than previously thought. Jindal eventually announced that he planned to keep budget cuts to higher education under 10 percent.
Jindal kept that promise upon releasing his executive budget. The governor’s proposal prevents cuts to higher education by
allowing universities to self-generate revenue, mostly by increasing tuition and student fees. It also relies on “increased efficiencies” throughout state government.
Much of Jindal’s higher education budget depends on the Legislature passing certain bills. If those bills fail, the state could face a budget gap leading to further University cuts.
If the state can’t find all of the anticipated efficiencies, there will be a midyear deficit and an accompanying midyear cut which will likely affect higher education.
The Louisiana Legislature, which began its regular session last week, must tweak and approve Jindal’s budget before it becomes law.
The Legislature will debate the budget and all bills related to higher education throughout the summer. The final state budget must be approved by June 26.
Once the budget is passed, the state managing boards will distribute the money to individual campuses. Only then will students know the final fate of the University’s budget.
 
____
Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]