State legislators and university officials said the outlook for state funding of Wisconsin’s universities might be brighter following the Department of Administration’s announcement that the state is projected to have $1.5 billion more than originally projected in the 2013-15 biennial budget.
The additional revenue will give the state legislature an opportunity to better express its priorities through the upcoming budget, Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Rep. John Nygren said.
The specifics of how the state will allocate the extra $1.5 billion have yet to be determined, but the future is “looking a little bit rosier” for University of Wisconsin System funding, according to Nygren.
“We have definitely identified education as a priority for us to be able to continue to grow our economy in Wisconsin,” Nygren said. “While we had to make some tough decisions last time around, we’ll have more flexibility to put dollars behind those priorities in this budget.”
The projection comes following a difficult budget cycle last biennium. In an effort to balance the 2011-13 state biennial budget the UW System received an initial $250 million in cuts, followed by an additional deduction of $66 billion due to a budget lapse.
“We are not above or beyond the difficult economic times we have faced over the last few years,” Nygren said. “I wouldn’t say all things are guaranteed, but the outlook is much brighter.”
The UW System took Wisconsin’s “fragile but improving” economy into account in making its 2013-15 biennial budget request, according to UW Spokesperson David Giroux. The System is requesting $11,849,055,300 in the upcoming biennial budget.
Giroux said the request for the upcoming budget focused on how Wisconsin universities can assist the state in workforce development and economic growth.
“We know that our universities play a major role in strengthening the state’s economy and the state’s workforce, the communities that support both businesses, workers and citizens,” Giroux said. “We want to invest in targeted strategic areas where we can help improve our ability to do that.”
Although Giroux said the cuts to UW System funding in the last budget cycle were the “greatest disparity” between what the system requested and what it received, he said there have been “lots of encouraging signals” looking ahead to 2013-15, citing the recent projected surplus of revenue as one example.
Dan Statter, chair of the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee, said students have begun reaching out to Gov. Scott Walker and state legislators to advocate for increased support in three areas: general state funding, tuition and financial aid.
Statter said the legislature should consider investing in education due to the large cuts to the UW System in the previous budget.
“Education is one of the best investments we can make in the future,” Statter added. “Particularly when the administration is protecting a $1.5 billion surplus.”
