A piece of good news has been delivered. ASU President Michael Crow said in an interview with The State Press editorial board Tuesday that the University anticipates no budget cuts to higher education next fiscal year.
This is due to an unanticipated $300 million budget surplus in the state, according to a report produced by the state’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The money, which will be available come the end of fiscal year 2012, isn't designated for all programs.
Of course, we hope they pour much of the surplus into higher education, but there will be many causes and agencies vying for a piece of the pie. The higher-education system in Arizona has suffered more than $400 million cut since 2008. Last year, ASU took a $90 million hit.
We can’t forget the other programs that were also adversely affected by these draconian cuts. The state Medicaid program suffered $500 million in cuts this year alone. Cities have given countless firefighters and police officers pink slips, making cities less safe. None of this takes K-12 education funding into account.
The $300 million surplus cannot even begin to correct all of setbacks these programs suffered, but it is a start. After several years of nothing but bad news, we hope that this surplus signals something resembling a recovery is on the horizon.
Excellent cases can be made for giving funding to every program, but perhaps the most solid case can be made for higher education. It is in this area where the workers and brains of tomorrow, those that will shape the economy, are molded. A simple investment will yield a large return.
A study by ASU economics professor Dennis Hoffman showed that if only a thousand more Arizonans went on to attain a bachelor’s degree every year, in 44 years, the state would have an additional $750 million in aggregate earnings.
This is only if students earn 1,000 more bachelor’s degrees across the state. Imagine if that number was raised to 5,000 or 10,000. We could get to the extra $750 million in aggregate earnings quicker than four decades.
While these thoughts let us breathe a sigh of relief, we must also not depart from reality. The state Legislature showed no regard to higher education over the past couple of years.
But there is something politicians care about more than an agenda, and that is votes — they certainly don’t want to lose their next election. If the tens of thousands of students in this state let their state representatives or state senator know that higher education matters to them, it will, all of a sudden, matter to those at the state Capitol. Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
