PA. College Funding to be Slashed by $257 Million to Pay for $248 Million Cut in Business Taxes

[JPZenger]

14. Great column on college budget cuts

http://www.phlmetropolis.com/2012/02/lizzie-borden-took-an-axe.php

"By cutting state aid, you guarantee it will be less affordable because the schools will have to increase tuition to partly make up for the loss. That's what they did last year. That's what they'll do this year. The result will be a greater burden on parents, if they foot the bill pay, and on students in the form of higher student loans.

Corbett quoting President Obama is perverse.

As the President has noted, one of the reasons tuition has gone up at state-supported schools in this country is because state governments have been cutting their subsidies to these schools. Obama has called the state's to maintain their level of funding for higher ed. -- not cut it by 20 to 30 percent."

According to a 2010 report by the State High Education Education Executive Officers association, Pennsylvania ranked 40th in the nation in aid to colleges and universities, The SHEEO study put state aid at $5,159 per student, which is 20 percent lower than the national average."
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Another source noted that zoos are proposed to lose all of their funding, after years of severe cuts. The line item for public TV and radio has been removed - it no longer shows zero - there is no line item.

By the way, Corbett today did find $2 million today to pay for the Arlen Specter Library, to hold his papers. He also found $100 million last month to buy an office building for the state.