Legislators Cutting Penn State Funding by 52% While Keeping Their Bloated Benefits

<p>Pennsylvania</a> Legislators Slash Education Funding While Keeping Their Own Bloated Benefits Intact - Democratic Underground</p>

<p>The above link describes how the PA. Senate and House are apparently moving forward with cutting 50% of all state funding to Pitt, while leaving their own bloated quick-vesting pensions and lifetime health, vision and dental insurance intact. They only pay 1% of the insurance costs. This is not shared pain.</p>

<p>Throw the bums out! They need to cut their own bloated benefits by the same amount they cut Pitts. BTW - why are you posting this on the PSU forum?</p>

<p>It is getting posted here, mainly because Pitt and PSU are both Public School, so the cut in appropriations applies to each of them.</p>

<p>^^^
Interesting that you know “mainly” why another poster has chosen to post about Pitt on the PSU forum. Thanks for your insight!</p>

<p>The same cut applies to Pitt, Penn State, Temple, Lincoln and State-owned universities. Actually, the total Penn State cut is the worst of all at 52%.</p>

<p>Interesting. Clearly, drastic cuts in public education from K through college are the way to create the kind of place we all want to live in.</p>

<p>Does anyone know if PA has a mechanism to recall legislators, or better yet, dear Mr. Corbett?</p>

<p>psubmb: The K-12 cuts come courtesy of the Federal Government, and yes you can try to impeach/recall President O’Bama.</p>

<p>k-12 cuts are not from the federal gov’t</p>

<p>

Really?</p>

<p>The truth about PA Gov Corbett’s education budget for 2011
"He clarified the following…</p>

<p>1.The 2011 budget contains no cuts to education funding for grades K-12…"</p>

<p>“Thus, to say that the 2011 proposed education budget has been cut, (based on 2010 budget plus stimulus funds totalling $5.776 billion) is a misrepresentation of the actual figures shown.”</p>

<p>When taken out of context, these cuts seem drastic. However, the cuts actually only reduce psu’s overall budget by a very small percentage.</p>

<p>Does anyone know when tuition rates for 2011-2012 will be set and/or what they will be?</p>

<p>Agreed. Whats does this mean for tuition rates for OOS students? I’m almost positive rates are going to increase but the question here is how much?</p>

<p>From StateCollege.com, 29 April 2011</p>

<p>“Spanier: Penn State Will Control Tuition Increase, Tap Financial Reserves”</p>

<p>"Penn State’s administration is determined “not to have tuition for this coming year (include) any greater than a typical tuition increase,” university President Graham Spanier said Thursday.</p>

<p>Annual tuition increases in recent years have typically been in the range of four percent to six percent.</p>

<p>Speaking Thursday before the Faculty Senate, Spanier said the university administration recognizes that many Penn State students are saddled with major financial burdens right now.</p>

<p>He reiterated prior statements that the university is cutting expenses and finding new efficiencies, but he introduced a new element, too:</p>

<p>Penn State will dip into its financial reserves for the 2011-2012 academic year, Spanier said.</p>

<p>That’s “always a bit of a risky undertaking,” he said, “because you always want to have as much financial strength under the university as possible.”</p>

<p>Among Penn State’s biggest immediate financial challenges is a proposed cut of roughly 52 percent in its state support. That proposal, introduced last month by Gov. Tom Corbett, would trim university funding by more than $150 million a year.</p>

<p>Spanier said he thinks “the scope of the cut will be moderated.”</p>

<p>But “I believe, in the end, there will be a cut in our (state-support) budget,” he said.</p>

<p>As state budget talks continue, Spanier said, he thinks it’ll be a few more weeks before Penn State has a clear picture of exactly how its state funding will emerge.</p>

<p>“The governor is in a tough spot. And we’re supportive of him doing his best to get the budget back in order,” Spanier said, referring to the roughly $4 billion state budget deficit. "We’ve also said that we expect to do our fair share – whatever that might be.</p>

<p>“We continue to make our case in Harrisburg for some moderation in the scope of that cut that was proposed for Penn State’s appropriation,” Spanier went on. “We don’t have a specific proposal as to what it should be or what our fair share will be. Of course, whatever it ends up being, we will live with that. We’ll do our best not to complain about it,” and to maintain the university’s work.</p>

<p>State leaders are expected to finalize the 2011-12 state budget by early July. But many people in the capital are hopeful that a budget agreement can be reached before the end of June, Spanier said.</p>

<p>A timely budget agreement would be helpful to Penn State, Spanier said, as it would allow the university time to finalize its own budgeting. University trustees are due to set the 2011-2012 Penn State budget – and tuition rates – at their July meeting."</p>

<p>It is common to try to blame the cuts on the end of Federal stimulus. These college cuts have nothing to do with the stimulus - it is 52% of the normal PA. State appropriate. As far as K to 12 education, the Governor’s total cuts far exceed the amount of the stimulus. For example, in the Philadelphia school district, the end of stimulus by itself represents 1,200 teaching and aide positions, which could largely be accomplished by attrition. However, they are having to cut 3,500 positions and eliminate all busing, because Governor Gashole is cutting or eliminating scores of PA funded programs. check out the article in today’s Phila. Inquirer for details [philly.com:</a> Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes](<a href=“http://www.philly.com%5Dphilly.com:”>http://www.philly.com)</p>

<p>The legislature is probably going to reduce the cut to public and state-related universities to around 25%, which is still severe, but not life-threatening.</p>

<p>The state has taken in $500 million more in revenues in the last couple months than was forecast. However, the Governor refuses to let the money be used to reduced the severity of the cutbacks. </p>

<p>He hates all forms of public education, and wants everything at the school and college level to be funded through vouchers. In other words, instead of Penn State getting an annual appropriation, he wants to eventually just use the money for larger PHEAA grants that could be used at private or public colleges.</p>

<p>

[The</a> truth about PA Gov Corbett’s education budget for 2011 |](<a href=“http://conservativetrumpet.com/2011/04/15/pa-gov-corbet-adds-104-million-to-education-despite-4-1-billion-deficit/]The”>http://conservativetrumpet.com/2011/04/15/pa-gov-corbet-adds-104-million-to-education-despite-4-1-billion-deficit/)

What did our former Governor do in 2010 with the 5.776 billion in federal stimulus money that is no longer available in 2011?</p>

<p><a href=“Democratic Underground Forums - Request error”>http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=175x18696&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<hr>

<p>[Philadelphia</a> schools lost federal and state aid - Philly.com](<a href=“Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes”>Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes)</p>

<p>"Overall, Corbett’s budget would shave the district’s share of basic education funds ($107 million); eliminate charter-school reimbursements ($110 million); end accountability block grants for full-day kindergarten ($55 million); cut educational assistance funds for after-school tutoring ($19 million); and excise dual-enrollment programs that allow high school students to earn college credit ($1 million).</p>

<p>…Now 1,029 teachers and 183 counselors and student advisers are among the more than 3,800 positions slated to be eliminated.</p>

<p>Masch said if the district’s financial problems were caused solely by the loss of the stimulus funds, the district would be cutting only 1,200 jobs, not 3,800."</p>

<p>In addition, the Governor and many State Senators have endorsed a voucher program that would divert hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade from public schools.</p>

<p>Q: What did our former Governor do in 2010 with the 5.776 billion in federal stimulus money that is no longer available in 2011?
A: Used it for K-12 education. </p>

<p>“…He said part of the district’s problem stems from the fact that the state itself used money from two federal stimulus sources - the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and the Federal Ed Jobs Fund - to reduce the state’s share of the basic education aid for school districts for two years.”</p>

<p>Now that former Philly Mayor Rendell (Democrat) isn’t the Governor anymore, the residents of the rest of the state may not want to spend as many of their tax dollars supporting Philly schools. Anyone know how many state tax dollars per student is budgeted this year for Philly schools compared to other school districts? Cry me a river.</p>