Gov. Scott Walker announced in a statement Friday an additional two-year tuition freeze for the University of Wisconsin System in his next budget.
Walker’s previous budget instituted the first two-year tuition freeze in the system’s history, and he said in the statement he would like to see the freeze continue to improve college affordability.
Walker cited a $1 billion projected surplus in the UW System’s budget as one reason for his proposal.
“After years of tuition hikes, it is important to give our students and their families a break,” Walker said in the statement. “Our proposed second two-year tuition freeze will go a long way to helping working families and students have access to higher education.”
UW System President Raymond Cross reaffirmed his commitment to college affordability in a response to Walker’s statement.
“We will continue to work with the governor and the Legislature to meet our shared goal of delivering value to the state of Wisconsin,” Cross said in the statement. “I intend to work vigorously to find a reasonable solution. I am confident that we can get the best budget possible for the university.”
The System’s statement clarified that only $38 million of the projected $1 billion projected budget surplus are not committed to expenses.
UW-Madison College Republicans Chair Charlie Hoffmann lauded Walker’s announcement in a statement Friday and said the measure would make college more affordable for all UW students.
Gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke’s campaign called Walker’s proposal “reasonable,” but criticized the governor for failing to address broader concerns about the UW System.
“It is absolutely essential that higher education be more affordable,” Communications Director Joe Zepecki said in the release. “But that doesn't address the long term need for the UW System to remain a core driver of our state's economy and of ensuring access to higher education for Wisconsin students.”
The co-chairs of the state’s Joint Committee on Finance, state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and state Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said in a statement Friday they were encouraged by the UW System’s efforts toward transparency.
“We fully support Governor Walker's call for another two-year freeze on tuition,” the legislators said in the statement. “The freeze will help make our world-class university system more affordable.”
The joint committee introduces the governor’s recommended state budget to the Legislature for passage each biennium. The Legislature will vote on a state budget when it reconvenes after November elections.
