Higher-Ed Budget Ok’d With Less Than 1% Increase

Members of the Idaho House squawked Tuesday about the trend in higher education funding, but approved and sent to Gov. Phil Batt a 1998 budget with an increase of less than 1 percent.

“Basically, what we are doing with these higher education appropriations the last few years is raising student fees,” said Rep. Ken Robison, D-Boise. “We are not financing higher education through the Legislature, we are financing it through higher fees.”

In the 65th day of the 1997 session, the House breezed through a number of major funding bills with little debate or opposition. The House voted 52-16 to appropriate $235.6 million for higher education, including $178.6 million from the general fund. The bill passed the Senate 30-3 last week.

Robison, a member of the Legislature’s budget committee, said the general fund increase is just 0.3 percent, not enough in a period when the schools are recording enrollment increases.

“It’s the best we can do,” said Rep. Bob Geddes, R-Preston, chairman of House Appropriations.

Opponents noted that the three largest universities - University of Idaho, Boise State and Idaho State - are proposing student fee increases of nearly 10 percent, 13 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Rep. Dan Mader, R-Genesee, agreed with those who said the budget for higher education wasn’t enough, but he maintained there was no way to increase it.

“We wouldn’t want to have any student fees if that would work,” Mader said, but compared with surrounding states, Idaho’s student fees remain low.

Rep. Maynard Miller, R-Moscow, agreed that there was no more money this year. “It’s time for us to take a very serious look at where we are in terms of education support,” he said.