Today the governor released what is, for all intents and purposes, her supplemental budget for 2012. In the age of all-cuts budget, the following menu shows what she has in mind for higher ed. (see the whole budget proposal at http://media.theolympian.com/smedia/2011/10/27/09/30/WB4B9.So.38.pdf
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Eliminate State Need Grant financial aid to students – $303 million: Ends the state’s largest financial aid program, which provides grants to 70,000 low-income students.
- Alternative: Reduce maximum State Need Grant award by $68.4 million or 25 percent: Cuts State Need Grant to all eligible students, resulting in a maximum award amount of $8,159 instead of $10,879.
- Alternative: Limit State Need Grant eligibility to public institutions-$30.6 million. Makes students attending private colleges and universities ineligible.
- Alternative: Reduce State Need Grant eligibility to 55 percent $25.5 million of median family income. Reduces eligibility to those students with family incomes at or below 55 percent of the state median family income ($45,000 per year for a family of four).
- Reduce state support to colleges and universities by 20 percent -$222.0 million: Cuts General Fund-State support to the six public colleges and universities, and 34 community and technical colleges in the second year of the biennium.
- Alternative: Reduce by 15 percent-$166.0 million
- Alternative: Reduce by 10 percent-$111.0 million
- Suspend State Work Study program – $8.0 million: Cuts aid to 7,600 students at public and private colleges and universities beginning fall term 2012.
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