<p>Corbett</a> to propose 20% to 30% funding cuts for Pa. state universities</p>
<p>[PA</a>. College Funding to be Slashed by $257 Million to Pay for $248 Million Cut in Business Taxes - Democratic Underground](<a href=“http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074417]PA”>http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074417)</p>
<p>It is interesting to see other states using their universities as economic engines. The cities realize this - Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both know that most of their employment growth has come from universities and health care, and that health care is directly connected to the universities. </p>
<p>Pennsylvania attracts huge numbers of affluent out of state students, some of whom stay and create new businesses. Part of the reason is that most of Pennsylvania’s public universities were of higher quality than what was offered in New Jersey, on the average. One third of the students at Pitt and University Park are out of state, and there are also high numbers at East Stroudsburg, Temple, West Chester and others. However, with these severe cuts, that situation could rapidly change. Those out of state students effectively subsidize the tuition of in-state students. </p>
<p>One person said Corbett is trying to do “Privatization With a Plan.” He makes very few clear public statements about what he really intends to do. </p>
<p>Here is what Corbett said the day after his budget speech on PA. Cable News, when he actually took a real question from a citizen about the university cuts: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>He kept saying that he taught in a school for a year. (He then left to go to a 4th tier law school along the Mexican border - I guess he couldn’t get into Pitt, Dickinson or Temple’s law schools). </p></li>
<li><p>He justified the cuts to Penn State by complaining that it costs $93,000 to earn a Penn State degree. He said Penn State needs to decide whether it is a public or private university. (Is he actually encouraging Temple, Penn State and Pitt to go private, and charge much more tuition to Pennsylvania residents???) </p></li>
<li><p>He didn’t mention that he also is cutting community colleges, which provide the most affordable tuition and serve large numbers of low income students and displaced workers in need of retraining. </p></li>
<li><p>He justified the cuts to the universities by saying that truck drivers make more than school teachers. </p></li>
<li><p>He justified the cuts to the universities by saying that there are not enough teaching jobs for all of the people who graduate from public and private colleges in PA. with teaching degrees. (Maybe we need to avoid more teacher layoffs. There already were over 1,000 in Pa. last year.)</p></li>
<li><p>He kept repeating that he refused to increase taxes. He didn’t mention that his budget includes a $247 million business tax reduction that approximately equal to the $257 million he wants to cut from public colleges. He also didn’t mention other ways of raising revenue, such as closing the Delaware loophole that allows large corporations to avoid paying their fair share of PA. taxes by funneling profits to subsidiaries in the state of Delaware. Many other states have closed that loophole. By the way, the vast majority of corporations in Pa. don’t pay any corporate income tax to the state.</p></li>
</ol>
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<p>[Aligning</a> priorities: Corbett’s proposed budget includes slash to Temple’s funding : The Temple News](<a href=“http://temple-news.com/2012/02/13/aligning-priorities-corbetts-proposed-budget-includes-slash-to-temples-funding/]Aligning”>http://temple-news.com/2012/02/13/aligning-priorities-corbetts-proposed-budget-includes-slash-to-temples-funding/)</p>
<p>An in depth article discusses trends in state funding and alternatives.</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State, Pitt, Temple Defend Need for State Funding at Hearing - Democratic Underground](<a href=“http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074608]Penn”>http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074608)</p>