Post by Logan on Apr 26, 2016 2:52:14 GMT -6
The University of Alaska may experience a $50 million budget reduction for Fiscal Year 2017. UA relies on the state for nearly a third of its total revenue, but legislators are grappling with ways to fill in Alaska’s $4.1 billion budget deficit. As a result of the large budget cut, the future of hundreds of university jobs and some campuses is in jeopardy.
The University of Alaska Board of Regents requested an operating budget of $377 million, a $27 million increase from last year’s $350 million, but given the state’s tough economic time, this was not feasible. The House of Representatives passed an operating budget for the university of $300 million, a 14.6 percent reduction. The Senate passed an operating budget of $324.9 million, a 7.4 percent reduction. Governor Bill Walker proposed a budget of $335 million.
The legislature created a conference committee, comprised of three Senators and three Representatives, to reconcile the differences between proposed budgets from the two legislative bodies. Of the three possible budgets, the conference committee decided on the House budget. The bill passed five to one in the committee, with Rep. Les Gara, an Anchorage Democrat, casting the only ‘no’ vote.
Ramifications from the proposed budget cut include an estimated loss of up to 500 jobs, as well as a 15 percent increase in tuition at all campuses starting during the spring 2017 semester, said UA President Jim Johnsen at a Board of Regents meeting.
Read more: www.nomenugget.net/news/university-alaska-faces-50-million-budget-cut
The University of Alaska Board of Regents requested an operating budget of $377 million, a $27 million increase from last year’s $350 million, but given the state’s tough economic time, this was not feasible. The House of Representatives passed an operating budget for the university of $300 million, a 14.6 percent reduction. The Senate passed an operating budget of $324.9 million, a 7.4 percent reduction. Governor Bill Walker proposed a budget of $335 million.
The legislature created a conference committee, comprised of three Senators and three Representatives, to reconcile the differences between proposed budgets from the two legislative bodies. Of the three possible budgets, the conference committee decided on the House budget. The bill passed five to one in the committee, with Rep. Les Gara, an Anchorage Democrat, casting the only ‘no’ vote.
Ramifications from the proposed budget cut include an estimated loss of up to 500 jobs, as well as a 15 percent increase in tuition at all campuses starting during the spring 2017 semester, said UA President Jim Johnsen at a Board of Regents meeting.
Read more: www.nomenugget.net/news/university-alaska-faces-50-million-budget-cut