MT: No Time To Cut Higher-Ed Dollars

If you operated an airline and more people were making reservations, would you slash routes and boost fares? If you ran a dental office and more people needed cavities filled, would you cut your hours and send them home? Of course not. So why in the world does Idaho choose to cut back on higher education in the middle of a recession? People lose jobs in recessions. Eager to land on their feet, many show enough initiative and faith in the future to put themselves back in a classroom, acquiring the skills to become competitive in the new job market. Lewis-Clark State College’s heat count surged to 4,200, cresting the 4,000 mark for the first time. At the University of Idaho, enrollments rose slightly to 11,957. After shedding students to the newly created College of Western Idaho, Boise State University’s enrollment still was up 2.3 percent for a total of 18,936, Even Idaho State University had more students, up 6.6 percent to 13,493/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

• Related: More spending cuts for Idaho/Idaho Statesman
  

Question: Does Gov. Otter have any choice but to order a 6% cut in spendiing for higher education?