While some higher education leaders are confident the “best-case scenario” $70 million cuts presented by Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne will be lessened, LSU President F. King Alexander said he will work for zero additional cuts to colleges and universities, days after the University’s funding was cut about $10 million in TOPS costs.
Higher education leaders pleaded their case for reduced budget cuts over the weekend as the special legislative session began tackling the more than $900 million budget shortfall. Some legislators assured university system presidents they will protect both higher education funding and the state’s largest financial aid program, TOPS.
Higher education officials have presented myriad scenarios from the doomsday, “worst-case scenario,” to the “best-case scenario,” a number that includes a $28 million shortfall of TOPS, which will be absorbed by universities throughout the state as there is not enough money in the program for reimbursement.
The worst-case scenario, based on the far-fetched possibility that legislators do not act to reduce cuts or raise revenue, is a “devastating,” $204 million reduction.
“We’re going to continue to fight for no cuts,” Alexander said, adding the University took the TOPS cut in “warm ups,” and this is the eighth consecutive year of cuts to higher education.
Lawmakers on the senate education committee asked university and college officials Monday about efforts to cut costs — including implementing more electronic textbooks and consolidating schools or programs.
Each system head told a story of doing more with less at their schools, and Alexander highlighted the damage done to recruiting efforts by recurring doomsday budget talks.
He said the school gave a tour to high-achieving students Saturday, but tried to shield them from the state’s highly publicized fiscal woes. While campuses throughout the rest of the country are discussing three to five percent increases in funding for education in exchange for keeping tuition low, Alexander said, Louisiana schools are just trying to survive cuts.
“We’re talking about things the rest of the country is not even talking about,” he said.
Sen. Conrad Appel, R-Metairie, said Louisiana government spends more than other southern states, but underfunds higher education by around $1,000 per student. Solutions will be found, he added, to prevent schools from closing and TOPS from disappearing.
“We’re far, far away from a situation … that would close schools,” Appel said.