Universities Making Pitch For More Funding Batt’s Proposed 2 Percent Increase Not Enough To Meet Higher Enrollments, Increasing Demands, Faculty Salaries, Presidents Say

Legislative budget writers faced the reality of their campaign rhetoric Tuesday as university presidents detailed the mounting needs of higher education within the prevailing tightfisted atmosphere.

The blunt message from academia:

Escalating enrollments, demands for expanded services and further deterioration of faculty salaries would make it extremely difficult for the universities to maintain existing services with the meager 2 percent increase in state support recommended by Gov. Phil Batt.

“It’s going to be awfully, awfully tight,” admitted conservative Sen. Atwell Parry, the Republican chairman of the Finance Committee who strongly backs the new governor’s spending blueprint.

“Two weeks ago, I would have said, ‘Yes, we’ve got the votes to hold for Batt.’ Now, I really don’t know,” he said. “It’s always easy to campaign and say you’re going to do this and that, but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, you find out who’s dedicated.”

Presentations by Boise State President Charles Ruch and Idaho State President Richard Bowen were only the latest to take aim at Batt’s hold-the-line budget plan for the year that begins in July.

However, neither Ruch nor Bowen was as directly critical as state Schools Superintendent Anne Fox was a day earlier.

Fox told the Joint FinanceAppropriations Committee that Batt’s proposed state aid package of $664 million was inadequate to meet the needs of Idaho’s children. She proposed $682 million and remained some $18 million lower than the adjusted request of education interests.

For his part, Batt declined to take on his critics.

“It’s not a miserly budget at all,” the new governor said about midday Tuesday. “Everybody can have their own opinion, but I will defend it.”

The University of Idaho makes its pitch for more state support today.

For the three universities and LewisClark State College, Batt proposed $168 million, up $3.4 million from the current year’s allocation. The Board of Education has recommended $183.1 million. Both proposals contemplate another $3.1 million in higher student fees.

Batt maintained that his plan includes more than $10.1 million in cash to meet new demands - a combination of the $3.4 million in additional money and $6.8 million cash that financed non-recurring expenses in the existing budget.

But to provide the 5 percent pay raise Batt has proposed for state workers, accommodate increased enrollment, move in to new buildings, expand engineering education in southwestern Idaho and halt the erosion of faculty salaries in comparison to those paid by comparable institutions, the Idaho schools need over $15 million.

“You should see whether the increased money recommended will cover what is covered,” Bowen told the HouseSenate committee. “I think that will be an interesting experience for you.”