The governing board for Louisiana’s public colleges and universities announced finalized budget cut amounts for the state’s college systems Tuesday.
The LSU System is set to take a state funding cut of about $56 million for the fiscal year that started Wednesday, according to the Louisiana Board of Regents.
After certain appropriations are added in — like $2 million for the AgCenter and federal stimulus dollars — the cuts will be reduced to about $52 million.
How the cuts will affect the LSU System remains to be seen, but some job loss is expected.
The LSU System’s main campus in Baton Rouge is set to take a cut of about $19 million — which includes the $10 million mid-year budget cut the Governor’s Office ordered in January.
LSU System officials were originally told to prepare for $102 million in cuts. That number was based on Gov. Bobby Jindal’s original proposed state operating budget, in which he had higher education taking a $219 million cut to help make up for a significant drop in state revenue this year.
Lawmakers reduced the proposed higher education cuts to their current level — about $120 million — by using money from the state’s rainy day fund along with money from other accounts.
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Contact Kyle Bove at kbove@lsureveille.com
System to trim more than $50 million in cuts
Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009
Updated: Thursday, July 2, 2009
Admittedly, Louisiana is not the only state in financial strains. However, it is grossly unfair for upper administrators to be allowed to arrogate upon themselves decisions that affect the very livelihood of scholars and the small guys, while THEY are enjoying full Board of Supervisors protections and get to keep all their exorbitant pay, practically uncontrolled spending on travel, entertainment, dinners, luxury automobiles free housing, etc., all at taxpayers' expense and Alumni donations - One of the reasons I have never contributed to my Alma Mater in the North East .A sensible negotiated collective bargaining agreement can provide fair checks on those arbitrary administrative decisions that affect the very livelihood of the "little obedient professors".To prevent a collective bargaining agreement from happening, university administrators have made a science out of manipulating the faculty, by holding token committee meetings with cherry-picked "faculty representatives". Last month, Astrid Merget said no changes will be made to the original reductions plan despite those meetings. What an insult!THEN, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ALL THOSE SOCIAL GET-TOGETHERS?