Area Universities Discuss Potential Education Cuts

It’s said that everyone loves surprises.

But when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett proposed approximately $1 billion in cuts to education, love wasn’t the word state educators used to describe the news. Corbett’s proposal would mean drastic cuts for schools from kindergarten all the way through the university level.

At Penn State-Beaver, Chancellor Gary Keefer was anticipating cuts before the announcement was made. He wasn’t, however, anticipating a proposed 52 percent cut to Penn State’s funding. According to the university, that cut translates to approximately $182 million.

“Nobody knew. The governor kept everything very close to the vest,” Keefer said.

The proposed cuts create a unique challenge for Penn State, in part because of where its costs lie. Keefer said that roughly 75 percent of the university’s costs are personnel costs, which include professors’ salaries and benefits. That means that Penn State can cut only about a quarter of its expenses before it must look at slashing jobs.

Despite the potential decrease in funding, Keefer said everything isn’t doom and gloom just yet for Penn State.

“Almost as long as I can remember, Penn State has done something called ‘internal recycling,'  which is a nice euphemism for budget cuts,” Keefer said.

In addition to cutting out expenses where it can, Keefer said Penn State’s enrollment is increasing, and that in general, tuition increases have been moderate in recent years, especially at the satellite campuses around the state outside University Park in Centre County.

Penn State isn’t the only local university feeling the pain of potential cuts. Even though it’s a private university, Robert Morris has students who rely on financial aid.

Jonathan Potts, director of public relations at RMU, said approximately 52 percent of the school’s students are eligible for aid from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

Under Gov. Corbett’s proposal, PHEAA grants would take a major cut. The state Institutional Assistance Grant, specifically designed for private institutes, would also face a decrease in funds.

But Potts said Robert Morris is doing its best to be proactive, and that attracting students to the university hasn’t been a problem.

“We’ve done a very good job the last few years with recruiting,” Potts said, adding that the major concern with any funding cuts is student retention.

Problems created by cuts in education funding aren’t limited to universities. Kindergartens through high school classes would also see less money from the state.

In a news release from Quaker Valley School District, Superintendent Joseph Clapper said that Pennsylvania is already near the bottom of the list when it comes to providing education funding for kindergarten through 12th grade.

A revised version of the governor's proposed budget is being debated in the House of Representatives. Clapper pointed out that this is still a proposal, and people should contact their state legislators to make their concerns about education cuts known.

In spite of the proposal, Quaker Valley School Board recently that would increase taxes 0.25 percent if the spending plan is finalized in June.

On a brighter note, about 4,000 property owners will also receive some thanks to gaming revenue. The district expects to receive about $710,000 to distribute to taxpayers who own their property and registered for the “homestead and farmstead” exclusion.

At Penn State, Keefer made very clear the consequences of Gov. Corbett’s proposal becoming reality for the school. The legislature is required by law to approve the spending plan by July 1.

“It’s going to limit potential for growth, and I am concerned what it’s going to do in the long run for student tuition.”