To say the University of Wisconsin System has reached its peak in the budget crisis is to repeat a recycled and ubiquitous headline currently echoing throughout the state. While the impressive elongation of Wisconsin’s funding drought has started to drown out the severity of any new budget cuts, this editorial board recognizes that the funding storm currently hovering over the UW System—and the causalities sure to result from it—deserve immediate attention.
A few short weeks ago, the Department of Administration sent out a memo directing the UW System’s attention to the regretful surfacing of budget lapses in Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011-’13 financial plan. In most state budgets, potential lapses act as a safety net in case tax revenue doesn’t reach a particular threshold. If that happens, institutions are asked to give back a stipulated amount in order to fill the funding gap.
This is not uncommon in Wisconsin. Previously, the UW-System was asked to contribute 8.7 percent one year and 9.9 percent the next in response to large budget lapses. These have, thus far, been a reasonable request as the UW System makes up approximately 7 percent of the state’s expenditures.
But things have taken a drastic turn this budget cycle. In direct contrast to previous years, Walker has asked the system make up 38 percent of the total budget lapse. That’s $65.5 million out of $174.3 million, which results in an additional $25.8 million in budget cuts for UW-Madison alone. This distorted allocation is nothing short of dropping a budget bomb on the UW System, leaving institutions across the state with crater-sized holes in their finances.
Carelessly cutting the UW System’s budget reveals the state’s extremely unfair and disproportional funding strategy, while consequently leaving the UW with even less money for technological improvements, faculty salaries and departmental resources; not to mention a severe increase in tuition prices.
Expecting the UW System to make up such a large portion of the state deficit is more than just rocking the cradle. Students and faculty can’t sit idly by and watch the state unreasonably target public education only to let them think universities won’t raise hell about it. While we support Interim Chancellor David Ward’s five ideas to save money through technological consolidations and funding reallocation, right now we stand strongly behind UW System President Kevin Reilly’s proposal to reduce our share of the budget lapse to 11 percent. Perhaps more pertinently, we support a greater student reaction to this budget slash because, as Reilly puts it, “[Administrative officials] do not know how [they] can take these cuts without negatively affecting the education of [their] students and the expectations of their families for a quality experience.”
We saw an incredible surge of support for Wisconsin’s public sector employees during the budget repair bill protests last spring. We know students across the state have the capacity to stand up against an injustice proportion of budget cuts.
That’s why we are disappointed to see our shared governance groups, including and especially ASM, spend their legislative committee time talking about the future of the Mifflin Street Block Party when the university’s financial future hangs by a thread.
Now more than ever, in a decision that DIRECTLY affects student’s pockets, we encourage UW students across the state to inform themselves about the current budget crisis and urge them to support our administrators in their fight for a more pragmatic funding agenda.
This is not a test. Yes, we can find ways to better distribute our funds and yes we can attempt to shoulder the elimination of resources and increased tuition, but we can’t turn apathetic as funding slashes grow thick. Right now, UW-Madison and all Wisconsin schools are on an insidious climb to a budget avalanche. If students across the state band together and advocate for higher education, we may be able to remedy some financial strains before it’s too late.
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