Penn State asks state for money to freeze tuition
Can Penn State have another year without increasing tuition?
Well, that’s up to the state, officials say.
On Friday, President Eric Barron unveiled the 2017-18 budget appropriation request for the state. It asks for a $25.3 million increase, for $350.5 million in educational and general support.
That would finish the work Gov. Tom Wolf started with his promise to restore the funding cuts made under Govs. Tom Corbett and Ed Rendell. Wolf had said he wanted to see those cuts counteracted within two years, but the lengthy budget standoff during his first year in office coupled with a more expedient compromise budget this summer fell a little short, recouping just $16.3 million.
“This budget was constructed with the idea that we should seek another year of zero tuition increase,” Barron told trustees at their meeting Friday.
Penn State held the line on in-state tuition in 2015-16 after Wolf’s budget requests named education as a top priority and the millions in restoration were announced as the goal. In 2016-17, Penn State kept tuition flat at some Commonwealth Campuses but did implement increases at others that were still historically modest.
The request still led to reservations from some trustees, namely secretaries in Wolf’s Cabinet.
“You’re asking for more in one year than we’ve acomplished in the last two combined,” said Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding. “I don’t know whether 11 percent in one year is a realistic number.”
Barron didn’t argue, saying he agreed but that the number was there to demonstrate what was needed to achieve the goal. Wolf, through his secretaries and former non-voting trustee John Hanger, made holding the line on tuition clear as a priority.
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera acknowledged that.
“That is absolutely understood and appreciated,” he said. “We will continue to advocate heavily on behalf of Penn State.”
Lori Falce: 814-235-3910, @LoriFalce
This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Penn State asks state for money to freeze tuition."