Lawmakers cut funding for higher ed 6 percent
State funding for Oklahoma’s 25 public colleges and universities was cut 6 percent Friday minutes after lawmakers passed the $6.8 billion fiscal year 2018 budget.
The state budget includes $773,597,659 for higher education, a decrease of more than $36 million from the current fiscal year.
After the vote, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education allocated the funds to the colleges and universities. Each institution took a 6.1 percent cut.
That’s about $12 million each for the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University and more than $1 million each for Oklahoma City Community College and Rose State College.
The institutions will bring their proposed budgets, including tuition and fees, to the regents for approval June 29. The budget cut likely will mean an increase in tuition.
Last May, higher education was cut 16 percent or $157 million, one of the biggest cuts in the state budget. That led to tuition increases ranging from 3.7 percent to 12.9 percent. The increases averaged 8.4 percent systemwide. Those increases offset 58 percent of the funding cut, but did not fully replace the $157 million, Chancellor Glen Johnson said.
The new appropriation to higher education represents a 4.5 percent cut from last year, but doesn’t include enough to pay the agency’s FY18 debt service obligations, said Amanda Paliotta, vice chancellor for budget and finance.
When the additional $9.6 million in debt service is factored in, each institution and all the agency’s programs took a 6.1 percent cut, Paliotta said.
The debt service is on bond issues for capital improvements systemwide and for endowed chairs. Higher education officials wanted to see improved funding for FY18, not another cut.
Structural problems with the budget are preventing proper funding of common education, CareerTech and higher education, said Natalie Shirley, president of OSUOklahoma City and state secretary of education and workforce development.
“Many of the things we have to spend money on today would go away if we funded education properly,” Shirley said. “Education is key to solving every issue we have.”
New regent, student input
Regent Jeff Hickman, of Fairview, began a nineyear term Friday. Kathy Thomas, special district judge for Payne County, administered the oath of office.
Hickman, a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for 12 years and House Speaker from 2014-16, was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin and confirmed by the Senate earlier this month.
Hickman replaces Regent Jimmy Harrel, of Leedey, who recently completed his second nineyear term on the board.
Also Friday, Tyrance Billingsley, chairman of the regents’ Student Advisory Board, presented a number of recommendations on behalf of Oklahoma college and university students.
Billingsley, a Tulsa Community College student, encouraged the regents to promote the use of free online textbooks as a way to help students save money. TCC faculty who will allow online textbooks in their classes this summer and next academic year will save a projected 3,610 students $361,000, he said.