The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents passed a resolution Thursday strongly opposing the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, which could potentially result in increased tuition and decreased student enrollment.
The regents voted to publicly state their opposition to an amendment that would put caps on appropriations—a source of funding for the UW System.
This amendment would be crippling to the UW System,\ Regent Roger Axtell said.
Freda Harris, associate vice president of Budget and Planning for the UW System, presented an estimate of funding increases for the 2007-'09 biennial budget versus funding under the TPA. Using an average of the past three biennials, Harris explained how the cost to continue existing programs along with a 2 percent increase in pay plan and health insurance for all UW System staff would require the system to either decrease enrollment by 10,858 students or increase tuition by 11.25 percent.
However, TPA's co-author, state Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, said more information and explanation is needed from the regents.
""[The assumptions] are purely political and completely ridiculous,"" Wood said. ""They're making projections about budgets that haven't been proposed or voted on yet.""
Regent Michael Spector questioned how the UW would be changed.
""If a loss of students is evenly distributed across schools, it's tough to maintain classroom standards,"" Spector said.
Harris acknowledged there would be fewer classes and fewer services for UW if the TPA went into affect.
If there was a decline in enrollment, ""there would be fewer students paying for dorms and meal plans,"" Harris said. ""If the trend continues, tuition would continue to increase disproportionately or enrollment would decrease. [UW] would lose more faculty and staff to competing offers [and] baccalaureate degrees would decline.""
UW System President Kevin Reilly said UW will have a difficult time getting more government money because of the increasing funds required for entitlements outside of the discretionary spectrum.
""We'll be looking at higher and higher tuition rates and smaller and smaller enrollment,"" Reilly said.
Harris agreed with Reilly's estimation of UW's future under the TPA, because ""there aren't other ways to pay.""
According to Harris, funding for the UW is often overlooked while other institutions receive financial assistance. She said the UW offers many benefits that improve the state.
""A large part of what the system pays for are services and programs on the cutting edge. Households primarily buy food and gas. The [costs of education] are significantly higher because the system is purchasing knowledge,"" Harris said.\
