Senate cuts could raise tuition costs
Published April 26, 2005
The Senate Appropriations Committee's proposed $18 million cut to the UM system could result in tuition increases if UM system cost-cutting cannot make up for the shortfall.
Nikki Krawitz, UM system vice president for finance and administration, said tuition increases have not been discussed. She said administrators would look to cut spending before increasing fees or tuition.
Krawitz said it would be difficult to make cuts, however, because most of the university's expenditures are in employment, which constitutes 75 percent of total expenditures and academic programs.
Matt Pierson, legislative director for the Associated Students of the University of Missouri, said he is concerned about the possible cuts.
Pierson, who is also a columnist for The Maneater, said he talked to Shawn Gebhardt, student representative to the UM system Board of Curators, who said proposed tuition increases could be above inflation levels.
This year, UM system President Elson Floyd pledged to cap the increase at inflation levels or 3.5 percent.
Although tuition has increased 40 percent during the past three years, Pierson said he would not want to sacrifice the quality of education to lower tuition.
"Raising tuition should be a last resort," Pierson said.
Pierson said ASUM's strategy for budget cuts is to focus on the upcoming conference committee once the Senate passes its version of the budget.
"We want the House to hold the line a little bit, but $18.2 million is a tough number to make go away," he said. "Students are going to have to be prepared for some cuts."
Krawitz said Gov. Matt Blunt's original proposal, to maintain last year's level of higher education funding, would have the effect of a cut because it would cause shortfalls between rising costs, such as inflation and growing salaries and available funds.
Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson said Blunt still hoped to maintain last year's level of funding.
In its budget proposal, the Missouri House followed Blunt's recommendation, keeping the higher education budget flat. In addition, the House slightly increased allocations to include $1.95 million for the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Dentistry.
The General Assembly has a deadline of May 6 to pass the budget and send it to Blunt.
