Butch Gautreaux's Proposed TOPS Cap Defeated

A big victory in the Louisiana legislature today for higher education as the Senate Education Committee almost unanimously killed Gautreaux's proposed TOPS cap. Read the article in the Advocate:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/46426507.html?index=1&c=y

Big props to LSU's student representation at the capitol, with J Hudson and Martina Scheuermann getting pub in the Advocate.

I found this particular quote of Gautreaux's to be quite funny:

"Gautreaux said the change would help stabilize TOPS without imposing undue burdens on students and their parents.

'This bill does not prevent anyone from attending college,' he told the committee. 'Let’s be honest.'"

Your bill would not have prevented Louisiana high school students who are TOPS eligible from attending college, Sen. Gautreaux. You're right about that. But it would have prevented them from attending college in Louisiana. The top students would not stay in Louisiana to receive a college education if they weren't eligible for such a great financial assistance package - they'd head elsewhere.

Business Community Echoes Sentiment! Don't Cut Higher Education!

Groups ask to kill cuts to colleges

By JORDAN BLUM
Advocate Capitol News Bureau
Published: May 29, 2009 - Page: 1A

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the business-funded Blueprint Louisiana group asked the Legislature on Thursday to eliminate all proposed budget cuts for higher education.

The request to the Senate Finance Committee was to allow colleges to evolve and adapt to the recession economy before instituting any of the proposed “draconian” cuts of 15 percent of their state funds.

The arguments from the business community were even stronger than from higher education officials, who have asked that their proposed $219 million in cuts be halved.

“Don’t cut higher education so much that you gut it and lose it and set higher education back 20 years,” said Blueprint member Jimmy Maurin, chairman of Stirling Properties in Covington.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/46426797.html

Jindal's Getting Phone Calls

So I realize I went off on the Governor in my last post on this blog, but it was heartfelt and I meant it, and I still mean it. But I do understand he has a tough job ahead; I just hope he sees how important higher education is to this state.

It turns out he might be made to see if he keeps getting calls on the subject. This is a mass Facebook message I received per my membership in the group "I Signed the Petition to Protect Louisiana Education!"

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FROM: Joe Abraham

A friend called the Governor's office to express his concerns about cuts to higher education. The staffer who took the call said, "We're starting to get a lot of phone calls about education funding."

I just called; the staffer listened politely, took notes, and thanked me for calling.

So please, take a sec, call Governor Jindal's office, and express to him your concerns about education funding in Louisiana:
225.342.7015

And please, pass this on to your friends via eMail, Facebook, phone, and anything else you can think of!

Joe
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I intend on calling later in the day. I urge you to do the same! Any avenues we can use to express our displeasure - or in my case, incredulity - about the situation, will help.

Stall Tax Break = Save Higher Education

State senator: fund higher ed, stall tax break

A Louisiana lawmaker has won early approval for her plan to ease budget cuts in higher education. Sen. Lydia Jackson, a Shreveport Democrat, won approval from the Senate's tax committee on Thursday to postpone a tax break involving charitable deductions that was to take effect next year, for the 2009 tax year. Jackson's plan would delay by three years a partial rollback of the so-called "Stelly plan." Jackson said her intent is to use the resulting $118 million to reduce planned spending cuts at higher education institutions. Jackson has support of the Senate leadership, but opposition from Gov. Bobby Jindal. Her bill next moves to the Senate floor.
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I think this might be the solution we need to put money back into higher education. Governor Jindal needs to understand that everyone does not have to comply with what he thinks is best! That is why we have three branches of government. I think his opposition to this bill is disappointing. Unless he has another plan that will put money back into higher education then he needs to sign the bill and smile.

we're making some progress...

Our message is resonating!  Now, more than ever, is the time to keep pushing for what we're fighting for!

From The Advocate (5/8/09):

"The Shaw Group on Thursday rejected accepting $28.5 million from the megafund to build a nuclear reactor component facility in Lake Charles.

Shaw Chairman J.M. Bernhard Jr. urged the state to put the money into higher education, which is facing $220 million in budget cuts because of a $1.3 billion drop in state revenue."

"Lawmakers sent Gov. Bobby Jindal’s $27 billion state operating budget proposal to the House floor Thursday after adding money for higher education, health care and arts programs.

In order to balance spending with decreased revenues, Jindal proposed $219 million in cuts to higher education and more than $400 million in cuts to health care.

Legislators reduced some — but not all — of those cuts.

Using state dollars, lawmakers directed:

In  $50 million more than what the governor recommended to the state’s public colleges and universities."

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/44572852.html 

Lafayette Advertiser: College cuts: Department of theater

The state government budget has grown so big so quickly that the higher education cuts being proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal get obscured in a dark forest of zeroes.

A projected $1.3 billion deficit. Proposed cuts of $440 million in state higher education funding. Proposed cuts of $13 million for UL alone, which gets $96 million of its $151 million budget from the state government.

New UL President E. Joseph Savoie sees things a little differently, with a little more context after his years of service in UL's administration and with the state's higher education system. Savoie noted recently that during the oil crunch years, when low petroleum prices squeezed state government almost to the point of passing out, UL sustained 13 cuts totalling about a quarter of its original budget. Adding together the 6.4 percent cut already inflicted this year and the proposed cuts in the governor's budget and unfunded mandated increases in expenses, the university is really looking at a 25 percent reduction.

There's more