The assignment this week was to write on a current event. Well, I chose to write on an event that affects me directly. I’m a college student at a private college in the state of Missouri. I also work at a public community college in the state of Missouri. Over the past few years there has been an immense uproar over where all our money is coming from to keep these schools funded. The last three years have been full of nothing but cut after cut after cut, and now we’re starting to feel it.
Last month, Governor Jay Nixon announced his budget plan to cut $106 million from the higher education budget for the state of Missouri. All state funded schools were warned they may have to increase their tuition and put the weight of the difference on their students. Nixon also stated, “I am calling on all our colleges and universities to continue to look for more ways to cut overhead and administrative costs and run smarter, more efficient operations.” Unfortunately, due to budget cut suffering from the previous three years, these schools have trimmed off all the fat they can. At this rate, the schools are heading toward academic anorexia, and what kind of education can anyone get out of that?
Nixon’s plan was met with an uproar. According to the Kansas City Star, Kurt Schaefer, the Senate Appropriations Chairman, stated, “At some point, we’re going to have to accept responsibility for funding our public universities.” I suppose it’s due to this uproar that Nixon amended his budget plan.
Last week, Nixon announced he would add $40 million to the Missouri Higher Education fund. The catch is this addition is pending on the state winning a lawsuit against mortgage banks. If it is settled in the state’s favor, then they are awarded $140 million, $40 million going to the struggling universities, community colleges and tech schools of the state. But what happens if they don’t win? What happens if the case goes south? Where do we get our money then? I would assume it is back to plan A. Also, according to the same article, it never states whether or not the $106 million is still disappearing from the original budget cut. Could it be that even if the state does win this hopeful case higher education will still be losing $66 million? Looks like smoke and mirrors to me.
Nixon claims his purpose for all these budget cuts is to “help balance the state’s finances without increasing taxes.” I’m sorry Mr. Nixon, but taking money away from where it is needed in order to keep taxes down is no solution. As a full time student, an employee of a state funded higher education institution as well as a tax paying Missouri citizen, I would much rather pay more taxes for a better education than less taxes for an education that will get me nowhere in the world’s competitive economy.
I'm shocked. This is very enlightening. I think America needs to consider what kind of society it produces when it continually puts education at a low priority. Austerity measures are a very popular theme amongst those who already got their education/decent job; it seems no one wants make the hard decisions or sacrafices for the next generation. The problem is I don't think anyone wants to live in the kind of society their actions are producing. Let's raise taxes and our standard for society.
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