| The New
York State Assembly is committed to keeping a college education
affordable. But the Governor’s budget proposal continues policies
that undermine the value of a higher education and threaten to shut
the college door for many New Yorkers.
For the past six years, the Governor’s budgets
have cut support for higher education by about $1.6 billion:
1995: forced a record-breaking $750 tuition
hike;
1996: attempted to raise SUNY tuition
another $700, but the Assembly stopped him in his tracks;
1997: called for a tuition increase as
high as $800 or more, but again, the Assembly said no;
1998: slashed $100 million provided by
the Assembly for community colleges, faculty and a textbook tax credit;
1999: proposed cutting $114 million from
the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) as well as funding for our
public colleges and universities;
2000: proposed cutting $29.4 million in
funding for higher education programs.
This year will be no exception. The Governor’s
proposed budget cuts $8.4 million from programs at SUNY and community
colleges, and $2.8 million from CUNY. Many of the programs jeopardized
under the Governor’s budget make it possible for working
parents and disadvantaged students to attend college, and help
schools attract high quality faculty.
The Governor’s
plan fails
to meet the current needs
of students.
Public colleges and universities are the backbone
of New York’s higher education system, providing working
families a chance at the top-notch education they’ll need
to succeed in today’s economy. Community colleges alone offer
educational opportunities for tens of thousands of New Yorkers
and provide businesses with the highly-skilled work force they
need to prosper.
Unless state aid to these institutions keeps
pace with rising costs, they won’t be able to maintain their
tradition of providing a quality, affordable college education.
New York’s working families will pay the
price of the Governor’s shortsighted policies ––
in higher tuition costs, increased fees that are only backdoor
tuition hikes, crowded or cancelled classes, and fewer full-time
teachers.
The Governor’s budget
makes college less affordable
for working families.
As college costs rise, the need for additional
tuition assistance has never been more important. Unfortunately,
the Governor’s budget fails to make additional funds available
to part-time students, or students taking graduate courses in
education.
The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
goes a long way towards helping working families afford college.
TAP is one of the most significant investments that New York State
provides to students seeking access to a higher education.
The Assembly has restored the Governor’s
proposed TAP cuts over the years and won a significant expansion
of the program last year.
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New York trails the
rest of the nation in
support for higher
education
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Over
the last five years, the cumulative increase in state appropriations
for higher education has been four percent, which ranks New York
State 38th in the nation.
Since 1995, the average cost of tuition and fees at SUNY colleges
has increased 31 percent –– from $2,971 to $3,905.
As a result, the average cost of tuition and fees for a student
attending a public four-year college in New York is roughly 17
percent higher than the national average.
In 1999-2000, New York’s community college tuition and fees
were over 56 percent higher than the national average.
Source: Almanac for Higher Education
"Today, New
York is one of only six states spending less on public higher
education than if their contributions had simply kept pace with
inflation over the last 10 years."
Alan
B. Lubin
New York State
United Teachers
"New
Yorkers live in one of the most expensive states for attending
college...the average loan taken out by students in 1998-99
was $4,357, the third-highest level of borrowing for college
in the country."
William Doyle
National Center for Public Policy
and Higher Education
"State University
College at Geneseo President Christopher Dahl said his campus
has to charge students fees adding up to $900 a year because
state money doesn’t cover important items ranging from
technology to athletics. ‘State funding has not been sufficient
to support essential activities,’ Dahl said."
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 2/1/01
"SUNY requires additional
funding to make up for past years. The task at hand...is to
‘fill the holes’ in the executive proposal.. "
William E. Scheuerman
United University Professions
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