More cuts could impact higher education
Posted on 19. Jun, 2009 by Lindsey.
Here are the facts: State legislators are bracing for a much larger drop in state revenue than previously anticipated. The new data just released shows state revenue will be down $482 million through 2011. As of now, the governor’s office is not calling for an emergency legislative session, but rather asking state programs to once again cut back. This directive could further impact the state’s higher education system.
Towards the end of the past legislative session, legislators were discussing ways to find money to avoid devastating cuts to education and other critical programs. Ideas included a temporary raise in sales tax and an income tax. These proposals began a conversation to think about ways to raise money instead of resorting to cuts to education.
The program cuts in the 2009-11 budget will affect us all, and perhaps the most important effect is yet to be seen — the one on our future. Schools, colleges and universities are struggling because of major budget cuts, but the people who are losing the most are the kids. They are missing the opportunities that I enjoyed in high school a mere four years ago: small class sizes, relationships with their teachers, a plethora of classes to choose from, and participation in the arts, music, and athletics. These components educate children and develop them into intelligent, analytical, and hard working adults who will be our nation’s doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and teachers in a few short years. They need our investment.
Our children need us to be adults and develop a solution that will enable their success, not hinder.
For more information about the latest state revenue forecast, visit:
- Office of Financial Management
- Everett Herald: More state job cuts likely after gloomy revenue forecast predicts a shortfall
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Education news of the day
Posted on 19. Jun, 2009 by Heather.
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Backfilling could cost us: Duncan: States could lose out on stimulus cash
