Office of the President

Grambling Can’t Take Any More Cuts!

As members of the House and Representatives and Senate continue to negotiate solutions to solve Louisiana’s budget crisis, higher education is again on the cutting floor. Grambling State University can’t take any more cuts to our budget.

House and Senate members need to add $75 M in funding to higher education to prevent yet another cut to Louisiana’s colleges and universities. After eight years of budget reductions, any cut to higher education should be off the table in those negotiations.

To make up cuts in state funding to colleges and universities, Louisiana has raised tuition on Louisiana students and their families by 99%. Unfortunately, those increases were not used to provide new enhancements at our colleges and universities, but to maintain the status quo. Tuition increases were followed by reductions in state funding from universities and colleges which was then added to the budgets of other state agencies.

The Louisiana Legislative auditor recently released a report on the increase in tax credits and exemptions granted by state agencies, which is depicted in the chart below:

While state support has increased in some areas of state government, state support for higher education has been cut by $683 M. Our legislators have difficult decisions to make to balance the needs of the state and its future. Our colleges and universities are already funded at the lowest level of any state in the South and near the bottom in the nation.

To prevent another cut to higher education, legislators need to make sure that $75 M of funding is added to higher education before March 9th. Higher education funding is an investment in the state’s future and needs to be a priority again.

P.O. Box 607.403 Main Street • Grambling, LA 71245 • Office: (318) 274-6117 • Fax: (318) 274-6172 • www.gram.edu
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