Politics & Government

Fontana Discusses Higher Education and Effect of Funding Cuts

The reality of a college degree could be out of reach for many high school students, State Sen. Fontana says, and the reason often is cost.

Across Pennsylvania, high school seniors are starting to make decisions about their plans after graduation. Many of these students are considering attending some type of higher educational institution. However, due to the economic climate, the reality of a college degree may be out of reach for many high school seniors.

Pennsylvania has 257 public, private and quasi-public colleges and universities. Home to over 120,000 students, the state legislature allocates money every year to the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities, which include Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester universities. Because of this allocation, these state-owned schools are able to present unique opportunities while offering the least expensive four-year degrees in the state. Four of Pennsylvania’s largest universities—University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Temple University and Lincoln University—are considered state-related universities and also receive a state allocation.

In the first year of Gov. Tom Corbett’s term, education advancement as a whole came to a screeching halt with his drastic cutbacks in education funding. The governor’s proposed 2011-12 budget called for decreasing funding to the state-owned and state-related schools by 50 percent. However, after months of debating these cuts, the legislature restored some of the funding to these institutions. As a result, PASSHE schools saw an 18-percent reduction in funding and the state-related schools saw a 19-percent cut.

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Although the cuts were not as severe as first threatened, most of these schools had to go to extremes to make up for this lost funding. The PASSHE schools hiked their tuition by 7.5 percent and the four state-related institutions raised its tuition by various amounts. Many institutions cut faculty as a cost saving mechanism while at the same time increasing class sizes.

Students in state-owned and state-related institutions were not the only victims of the final 2011-12 budget. Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges also saw a 10 percent reduction in the budget. As a result, the Community College of Allegheny County in September approved a rare mid-year tuition increase of 9.5 percent, which is the largest single jump in the school’s history.

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Now, as the legislature debates the governor’s 2012-13 proposed budget, higher education institutions are once again facing cuts. The governor has proposed a 30-percent reduction (or $185 million) for the four state-related universities; a 20-percent cut (or $82.5 million) for the 14 PASSHE universities; and a 3.8-percent reduction (or $8 million) for the state’s community colleges.

Even the state’s premier student aid organization—the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)—will suffer under the governor’s budget proposal. At a time when affording higher education is getting further out of reach for many students and their families, the governor is cutting PHEAA funding by $19 million. PHEAA estimates that this decrease in funding would essentially amount to about $158 less available per individual for the assumed 205,000 grant recipients. To maintain the state grant level awarded during the 2011-12 school year as well as offset the anticipated tuition hikes, PHEAA would require $20 million in additional funding.

I am a firm believer in students furthering their education and there are many different avenues for individuals who want to explore their options. Furthermore, investing in education invests in our communities. Living in Pittsburgh, I see and understand how these colleges and universities are an economic driver, from training a student to be successful in the work place after graduation, to making advances in research and technology, to providing employment for teachers and other essential staff at these institutions. We need to continue to welcome these kinds of advances and foster this type of environment. 

Although the governor must be held accountable for placing a priority on tax breaks for big corporations over funding our institutions of higher education, the state-funded universities must wisely adjust to the reduced funding with as little burden on students as possible. By reconsidering their own current situations and analyzing how they can decrease spending wherever possible, they can be more proactive about ensuring both a quality and affordable education. Colleges and universities receive state funds with the promise of passing it along through low tuition rates. However, these institutions placed the burden of their decreased funding onto the students and their families by increasing tuition rates.

In this current economic climate, everyone needs to be held accountable. If these schools continue to receive a state allocation, the General Assembly should have a role in how these schools are allowed to spend the tax payers’ money. The legislature, the governor, and colleges and universities across Pennsylvania all need to work together and form a consensus so that the dream of a college degree is not just reality for the wealthy.


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