Legislative Update April 22, 2009
By Russ Stanton, IFO Director of Government Relations
House Passes Higher Education Bill
Moments ago the House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Higher Education Bill by a vote of 86-46.
The bill would appropriate $665.8 million each year in FY2010 and FY2011 for MnSCU. This would include $65.2 million each year in federal stimulus money. This is the same funding level proposed by the governor. Where the House bill differs from the governor’s proposal is in the funding base for 2012 and 2013; the governor proposes $606.6 million for each of those years, whereas the House proposes $654.5 million for each year.
The House bill clamps down on MnSCU central office funding and prioritizes campus funding for instruction. It creates a separate line item for central office funding and then shrinks that amount. It says allocations to the campuses cannot be less than this biennium. It cuts funding for central office technology and eliminates funding for central office initiatives such as awards for excellence, salary competitiveness (IPSEL grants), technology initiatives outside the allocation model, and Board and Chancellor’s initiatives.
The bill also changes the process for selecting the MnSCU Board of Trustees. Instead of having the Governor appoint trustees, the bill would have the legislature elect the trustees in the same way they elect the U of M Regents.
The bill allows a waiver process from the policy limiting associate degrees to 60 credits and baccalaureate degrees to 120 credits. The waivers would be for emerging and innovative programs.
Amendment Attempts
The House voted down several attempts to limit student fees.
Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) offered an amendment that would have forced all higher education employees that make over $100,000 to take a 5% pay cut. After being informed that his amendment would put federal stimulus money in jeopardy, and that it violated the U of M’s constitutional autonomy, Gottwalt withdrew his amendment.
Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Wabasha) then offered an amendment to cut higher education employees making more than $100,000 by 10%. He specifically went after provisions in the IFO contract, such as the final year two step increase, supplemental retirement, and the $6000 performance bonuses (which no one has received). Drazkowski said anyone making more than $100,000 should contribute to solving the state’s budget shortfall; to which Majority Leader Tony Sertich responded, “You’ll get an opportunity to vote on that when we take up the tax bill”. Drazkowski’s amendment was defeated 130-2. Only Drazkowski and Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) voted in favor of the pay cut.
Campus Legislators’ Votes
Here is how campus area legislators voted on the final bill: Rep. John Persell (DFL-Bemidji), yes; Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker), yes; Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead), no; Rep. Paul Marquart (DFL-Glyndon) yes; Rep. Larry Haws (DFL-St. Cloud), yes; Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud), no; Rep Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), no; Rep. Kathy Brynaert (DFL-Mankato), yes; Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter), yes; Rep. Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona), yes.
All of the legislators representing Metro State campuses voted yes.
Conference Committee
The Senate passed their Omnibus Higher Education Bill last week. Now the House and Senate versions of the higher education bills will go to a ten member House/Senate conference committee that will work out a final compromise bill.
Showing posts with label legislators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legislators. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Minnesota Audit Commission: Finalists for audits
More information on one of nine topic finalists: MnSCU System Offices and Expenditures Audit
The full list can be found here: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/ped4.htm
The full list can be found here: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/ped4.htm
Steve Drazkowski WDN article 4/1/09 -
Steve Drazkowski: Legislature gets an F on MnSCU negotiations
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2009/04/01/opinion/otherviews/guest.txt
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2009/04/01/opinion/otherviews/guest.txt
Friday, February 27, 2009
Bruce A. Svingen's Testimony
Chair Pelowski, members of the committee.
My name is Bruce Svingen. I am the Faculty Association president at Winona State University. On behalf of our faculty I thank you for hearing our concerns.
With a $7 billion state deficit spread evenly across all state agencies, WSU would be facing at minimum a $6.2 million cut to base funding, this includes an expected enrollment increase by 200, a 4% tuition increase and the faculty’s proposal for a “no across the board” salary increases for the next two years.
At a $6.2 million deficit, the impacts are catastrophic:
1. The first impact is not filling positions needed to teach courses. If we took the $6.2 million entirely out of faculty positions, this would be a loss of 83 faculty and as much as 332 courses per semester, leaving all of our students a course short of a full load each semester. This would delay their graduation by one year at the same time we see a record high demand for our courses.
2. Secondly, as total course offerings decrease, departments will be driven to increase the number of lower division, less costly, courses in relation to upper division courses. If we’re not able to offer enough upper division classes, juniors and seniors will face further delays to graduation and entering the workforce. This uncertain sustainability of programs will jeopardize the University’s ability to recruit and retain students. Combined with the loss of $3 in tuition and fee revenue for every $1 in cuts under the projected deficit, this programmatic instability takes us toward the “death spiral” of the University.
3. The third impact is that higher tuition will limit accessibility and affordability at exactly the time our economy needs higher education to help rebuild our economy. Students have already faced an 85% tuition increases since 2001 and their average debt load upon graduation has blossomed to $24,000. With about 80% of our students staying in MN, burdening these students with more debt is another yoke on the state economy. According to Wilder and Associates, the positive regional economic impact of WSU is $194 million per year. This regional economic impact is now at great risk.
4. The fourth impact of large and destabilizing cuts will be more control over academic programs by the MnSCU System Office. This will not be guided by the academic needs of our students, but by the initiatives of the System Office and the Governor. We do not need trendy fixes, temporary reorganizations, or mandates for on-line education to create a student market – we already have a student demand for what we do. What we don’t need is a System Office spending $136 million/year that does not directly sustain the mission of the campuses, while spending only 40% of their budget on instructional support.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in System Office technology.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in the Chancellor’s office.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in administrative services.
· And we can sustain our campuses without 400 System Office employees.
We know this because we've done it before.
In closing, we are willing to make sacrifices. We have sacrificed wage increases for two years, we are pulling back operating budgets, and we are sacrificing positions.
But cuts alone may not be enough. We hope you will also consider “revenue enhancement” to help the campuses and other essential state services – one source of revenue to soften the blow to the campuses may be found in the MnSCU System Office. We would also ask that you consider tax reform as part of the solution. Coupled with this, we would suggest using one-time federal stimulus money to help soften the blow. And finally we suggest using the savings that come to the state via the PELL grant increases to reduce the cuts to public higher education. And if not that please uncouple the PELL grants from the state grant program so that are students can benefit directly from in the increased support.
Sincerely,
Bruce A. Svingen
President, WSUFA
My name is Bruce Svingen. I am the Faculty Association president at Winona State University. On behalf of our faculty I thank you for hearing our concerns.
With a $7 billion state deficit spread evenly across all state agencies, WSU would be facing at minimum a $6.2 million cut to base funding, this includes an expected enrollment increase by 200, a 4% tuition increase and the faculty’s proposal for a “no across the board” salary increases for the next two years.
At a $6.2 million deficit, the impacts are catastrophic:
1. The first impact is not filling positions needed to teach courses. If we took the $6.2 million entirely out of faculty positions, this would be a loss of 83 faculty and as much as 332 courses per semester, leaving all of our students a course short of a full load each semester. This would delay their graduation by one year at the same time we see a record high demand for our courses.
2. Secondly, as total course offerings decrease, departments will be driven to increase the number of lower division, less costly, courses in relation to upper division courses. If we’re not able to offer enough upper division classes, juniors and seniors will face further delays to graduation and entering the workforce. This uncertain sustainability of programs will jeopardize the University’s ability to recruit and retain students. Combined with the loss of $3 in tuition and fee revenue for every $1 in cuts under the projected deficit, this programmatic instability takes us toward the “death spiral” of the University.
3. The third impact is that higher tuition will limit accessibility and affordability at exactly the time our economy needs higher education to help rebuild our economy. Students have already faced an 85% tuition increases since 2001 and their average debt load upon graduation has blossomed to $24,000. With about 80% of our students staying in MN, burdening these students with more debt is another yoke on the state economy. According to Wilder and Associates, the positive regional economic impact of WSU is $194 million per year. This regional economic impact is now at great risk.
4. The fourth impact of large and destabilizing cuts will be more control over academic programs by the MnSCU System Office. This will not be guided by the academic needs of our students, but by the initiatives of the System Office and the Governor. We do not need trendy fixes, temporary reorganizations, or mandates for on-line education to create a student market – we already have a student demand for what we do. What we don’t need is a System Office spending $136 million/year that does not directly sustain the mission of the campuses, while spending only 40% of their budget on instructional support.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in System Office technology.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in the Chancellor’s office.
· We can sustain our mission without $20 million plus in administrative services.
· And we can sustain our campuses without 400 System Office employees.
We know this because we've done it before.
In closing, we are willing to make sacrifices. We have sacrificed wage increases for two years, we are pulling back operating budgets, and we are sacrificing positions.
But cuts alone may not be enough. We hope you will also consider “revenue enhancement” to help the campuses and other essential state services – one source of revenue to soften the blow to the campuses may be found in the MnSCU System Office. We would also ask that you consider tax reform as part of the solution. Coupled with this, we would suggest using one-time federal stimulus money to help soften the blow. And finally we suggest using the savings that come to the state via the PELL grant increases to reduce the cuts to public higher education. And if not that please uncouple the PELL grants from the state grant program so that are students can benefit directly from in the increased support.
Sincerely,
Bruce A. Svingen
President, WSUFA
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sign up to testify
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/budgettownhallmeetings.asp
"Above is a link to the legislative web page for signing up to testify at the regional legislative meetings on the state budget shortfall. This is an opportunity to not only have direct input to the legislature, but also get into the press. Please have the faculty leadership on your campus get together ASAP and recruit faculty to testify, and sign up right away. If you want assistance preparing testimony, give me call or write. Check the IFO web page for themes we want to push. I want faculty to testify---I’m afraid that the administration may try to dominate this, which would be tragic, since they will never bring up the need to raise taxes (which legislators need to hear), and they will never talk about cuts to the central office. I am also worried that anti-government/anti-tax groups may try to swamp these meetings. Start recruiting faculty and student turnout." - Russ Stanton
When: Friday February 20, 2009 at 3:30pm
Where: Winona City Hall-Council Chambers, 207 Lafayette
"Above is a link to the legislative web page for signing up to testify at the regional legislative meetings on the state budget shortfall. This is an opportunity to not only have direct input to the legislature, but also get into the press. Please have the faculty leadership on your campus get together ASAP and recruit faculty to testify, and sign up right away. If you want assistance preparing testimony, give me call or write. Check the IFO web page for themes we want to push. I want faculty to testify---I’m afraid that the administration may try to dominate this, which would be tragic, since they will never bring up the need to raise taxes (which legislators need to hear), and they will never talk about cuts to the central office. I am also worried that anti-government/anti-tax groups may try to swamp these meetings. Start recruiting faculty and student turnout." - Russ Stanton
When: Friday February 20, 2009 at 3:30pm
Where: Winona City Hall-Council Chambers, 207 Lafayette
Friday, February 6, 2009
We need your help: Participate in events (part 3)
Support Higher Education – Events around WSU
February 3, 2009 10:30-12noon - MPR in Kryzko Commons
February 5, 2009 at 4:00pm - WSU Faculty Association forum on the budget
February 13, 2009 at 11:00am-1:00pm - WSU and SE Tech Student sponsored event (Kryzko Commons basement and at 12noon in the WSU quad area)
February 11-12, 2009 -Lobby days for IFO (government relations and IFO leadership)
February 20, 2009 - Winona- Budget Town Hall meeting with Minnesota legislators Location/time: Winona City Hall-Council Chambers (207 Lafayette) at 3:30pm
March 3, 2009 - Budget Forecast
We need your help: Write a letter to the editor (part 2)
Faculty have already started sharing their views on the importance of higher education. Here are a few:
WSU’s Svingen and Down’s article in the Winona Post:
http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=28873&home_page=&archives=1
Clark Johnson's (MSU-Mankato)
Mankato Free Press: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/archivesearch/local_story_027200153.html
Star Tribune revised article: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/38581217.html?page=2&c=y
WSU’s Svingen and Down’s article in the Winona Post:
http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=28873&home_page=&archives=1
Clark Johnson's (MSU-Mankato)
Mankato Free Press: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/archivesearch/local_story_027200153.html
Star Tribune revised article: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/38581217.html?page=2&c=y
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