Over the past decade, higher education has gone through what some might consider a period of austerity. As state revenues declined, public education budgets at every level were put on the chopping block. Public education consumes the most sizable portion of a state’s budget, so it’s not altogether surprising schools had to tighten their belts during the recession. With that in mind, it was flabbergasting to discover the Louisiana Legislature’s budget for next year might cut Louisiana State University’s budget by 82 percent.
Yes, you read that correctly. The budget currently under consideration in Baton Rouge would cut funding to the state’s flagship university from this year’s $110 million to a paltry sum of $30 million for the next fiscal year. LSU’s president, F. King Alexander, predicted an apocalyptic scenario if the budget is passed. The university may be forced to cancel 2,000 classes, and every employee at LSU will be furloughed.
Public colleges and universities have managed through lean years. While budget cuts do not lead to friendly outcomes, what Louisiana is considering could potentially devastate its flagship university. The state may blame a budget crisis, but an 80-percent cut is not tightening one’s belt during a lean period; it’s death by starvation.
Stop and think about what you would do if the Florida Legislature proposed cutting UF’s funding by 80 percent. What would you do if the university suddenly had to cancel 2,000 classes and furlough every employee at UF? The thought is terrifying. It’s time all those who support a strong public college and university system stand up to politicians who regularly put higher education on the chopping block.
UF survived five consecutive years of budget cuts, and the state Legislature is slowly but surely restoring significant funding to the state university system. Good for UF, but what’s going on in Louisiana?
Louisiana’s facing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall, and naturally, education is the first item on the budget to face cuts. However, even with a billion-dollar budget deficit, it’s unfathomable that LSU faces an 80-percent budget cut. If education is key to ending the cycle of poverty, Louisiana appears ready to embrace a continuation of that cycle.
While state legislators scramble to balance a budget, they can’t ignore Louisiana has the fourth-highest child poverty rate in the country. Gutting education demonstrates blatant ignorance to the tools available to a state to combat the cycle of poverty. Just Google education and poverty: Scholars, pundits, politicians, teachers and economists all argue that strong education systems can break cycles of poverty in the U.S. and abroad. It prepares people for the challenges of a 21st century workforce, and a good education likely means better economic outcomes as an adult.
Not every student in Louisiana needs or wants a four-year degree from a school like LSU, but the state’s treatment of LSU is indicative of how we’ve treated public education systems throughout the country. One could argue public education helped build the middle class during the 20th century. Our nation’s strong network of public primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities built the U.S., and without it, it’s easy to question whether the U.S. would be nearly as powerful as it is today.
We need leaders committed to public education at every level. In the long term, no state can afford balancing its budget on the backs of schools. Without a strong education system, what company wants to invest in your state? To find adequate workers, they’ll have to look out-of-state, and relocation costs are expensive. A state’s economic success is intricately tied to its investment in education. Continue to disassemble your public school system, and it’s unlikely the strength of your state’s economy will ever help balance the budget.
Here are some words for the Louisiana Legislature and Gov. Bobby Jindal: You will never cut your way to success. If you don’t believe me, take a look at LSU this Fall if the state budget passes; it won’t be pretty. Even LSU football coach Les Miles can’t save you from what will happen.
Joel Mendelson is a second-year UF political campaigning graduate student. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 4/3/2015 under the headline “Cutting higher education budget not the answer”]
