CONNECTICUT, USA — Higher education leaders gathered with state lawmakers Monday to warn of “disastrous consequences” if they don’t receive more funding.
The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system leaders said the legislature’s budget proposal – approved by the Appropriations Committee last week – would cause a nearly $110 million dollar deficit next fiscal year and $226 million the year after.
Officials said in order to pick up the slack, they’d be forced to lay off more than 650 full-time faculty and staff, eliminate nearly 3,000 part-time positions, and hike tuition by five percent.
“We understand and respect the need for fiscal restraint, but it should never come at the expense of our most vulnerable students,” said CSCU President Terrence Cheng.
While the legislature’s budget proposal does allocate $82 million more for Connecticut state colleges and universities than Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan, officials said it’s still not enough.
“It's sickening that the budget has come into a certain degree where we're now asking the questions as higher education leaders we don't want to ever ask, in terms of who stays who goes,” John Maduko, president of the Connecticut State Community College, said.
State university system officials said this budget would leave them $336 million in the hole, resulting in layoffs and tuition increases to cover the gap.
“I know that if the legislature can find the political courage to make the appropriate adjustments to our budget, then we can avoid these consequences and in fact, I think it's our mandate to do so,” added state Rep. Gregg Haddad, (D-Mansfield).
It's not just the CSCU system–UConn staff and students have been pushing back since the governor’s budget proposal in February, protesting at the state Capitol and warning of similar consequences.
The Lamont administration argues their budget actually raises base funding for higher education, with the decrease due to temporary, pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act dollars expiring.
In a statement, Jeffrey Beckham, secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, wrote, “Governor Lamont has demonstrated a very clear commitment to appropriately funding our state colleges and universities to ensure that our businesses have the workforce they need to build growth and opportunity. His proposal for the next biennium represents a 27 percent increase in baseline appropriations and a 55 percent increase in total state funding, worth $334 million, over when he took office. That significantly increased support combined with the system’s substantially declining enrollment means state funding per student would – assuming enrollment remains level rather than declining further – nearly double from $7,418 in 2018 and 2019 to $14,290 in 2024 and 2025.
“In addition, the Governor has proposed shifting the unfunded legacy costs over to the state – a long-standing issue raised by higher education institutions as a source of fiscal strain. CSCU’s request for additional funding appears to be based on a belief that one-time federal funding to compensate for COVID-related costs should continue in perpetuity.
“Simply asking for ever-increasing operating subsidies is not sustainable. Before looking to the taxpayers and students for additional funding, they must get their costs under control and in line with the current and expected future demand for students, which has decreased by 36 percent in the community colleges and 21 percent at the regional state universities. The students and taxpayers deserve value for their dollar, it is apparent that the CSCU administration needs to do more to assure that value.”
The state legislature has six weeks for negotiations with Gov. Lamont. The deadline to pass a final budget is June 7.
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