Billion-dollar wish list

Colleges lobby state lawmakers for share of money from Ref C

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 13, 2005 at midnight

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State universities and public colleges want a sizeable chunk of the new money Ref C will pump into the state's coffers, asking lawmakers for an additional $139 million over the next two years.

That's just the beginning.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education submitted a proposal to the Joint Budget Committee on Monday seeking a $1 billion increase over the next five years.

It's an effort to keep a lid on out-of-whack tuition and fee increases, said Rick O'Donnell, CCHE executive director.

"I think clearly, to keep tuition low and to keep faith with the voters, higher education needs a fair share of new funding," he said. "The fair share is in the eye of the beholder. Transportation wants its fair share, public education wants its fair share and health care wants it fair share," O'Donnell added. "At the end of the day, it's up to the legislature and the governor to sit down and balance the competing needs."O'Donnell asked lawmakers to increase funding by $74 million in the 2005-2006 budget to cover increased expenses as a result of huge spikes in student enrollment that have not been funded by the state in the past four years.

A large share would go to community colleges, which have seen the highest growth in student enrollment, adding nearly half of the state's 20,000 new students since 2002.

CCHE also asked for an additional $65 million in the 2006-2007 fiscal year to bolster financial aid and to cover increases in expenses such as salaries and utility bills.

In the past four years, the state has slashed higher education funding by $200 million.

State support has declined from an average of $4,390 to $2,900 per student, and many of the cuts have been made up with tuition and fee increases, officials said.

The request for additional funding comes at a time when Republican Gov. Bill Owens seeks to hold the line on tuition.

On Monday, CCHE officials asked the JBC to back a plan approved last week to cap tuition increases at 2.5 percent next year, including for the University of Colorado.

Both proposals, O'Donnell said, reflect an effort to keep in step with voters who supported Referendum C in November, believing that it would help bolster higher education funding and keep costs down.

In a separate request, the University of Colorado system is seeking supplemental funding of $2.7 million this year to cover increased student enrollment costs for the School of Nursing at the University of Colorado Health Science Center. School officials argue that the additional money would allow more in-state students to enter the program.

The decline in state support and lack of qualified faculty have limited enrollment and increased tuition at time there's a nursing shortage.

"By having a separate line item, we can fill slots many times over in nursing and pharmacy programs with students from the state," said CU President Hank Brown. "The question is, Do you want in-state students to have those opportunities?"

Brown and leaders from the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado School of Mines as well as the state's community college system urged lawmakers to use the next five years to come up with creative ways to better fund higher education.

Some suggested the state set up a reserve fund solely to bank money for future higher education spending needs to avoid deep cuts when the economy does poorly.

"We know there will be another economic downturn, and we know who will be first to get the ax. So let's all think about sustaining higher education while we have the opportunity," Kay Norton, president of UNC.

Ref C suspends state spending limits for five years, giving lawmakers an estimated $3.7 billion they would otherwise have to refund taxpayers.

The jockeying has just begun for the $440 million in new money the state will see this year.

On Monday, lawmakers cautioned universities and colleges not to bank on receiving a lion's share of the additional tax revenue the state now gets to keep because of Ref C.

Last month, Owens proposed spending nearly all of the $440 million on highway construction and the state's reserve fund.

"Clearly, the funding they're asking for is way out of the ballpark," said Tom Plant, D-Boulder, chairman of the JBC. "The governor wants $80 million in additional funding for roads this year, and they're asking for $74 million for higher ed. The math doesn't add up."

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