State officials moved Tuesday to cut the University of Colorado budget in a bid to block CU tuition hikes of as much as 28 percent for some in-state students this fall.
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education voted Tuesday to ask the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee to reduce how much CU can collect from tuition by $13.8 million.
That would limit CU to an increase of $29.7 million in tuition revenue instead of $43.5 million.
Gov. Bill Owens’ budget office will make a similar request when the JBC meets next week.
“CU’s 28 percent tuition increase violates the understanding the institutions had with my office and the legislature,” Owens said in a statement. “I am calling on the legislature … to make clear our commitment to keeping CU affordable for students.”
CU regents were criticized this month when they increased tuition much more for in-state students than for out-of-state students. State officials say the regents violated an agreement reached this year among key legislators, university leaders and other state officials.
CU officials said that they broke no agreements and that in-state students took on so much of the burden because out-of-state students have been avoiding the school because of the high cost.
“We are very concerned about pricing ourselves out of the market based on (surveys) from the students who did not enroll,” outgoing CU president Betsy Hoffman told the education commission in a teleconference.
But most commissioners said they felt deceived and questioned the large increases.
“It’s going to push a lot of the students off the cliff to where they can not afford that kind of tuition,” said commissioner Richard Garcia, adding that he has two daughters at CU. “It does seem to shut the door on many students.”
Joe Neguse, outgoing student body president, said the tuition increases are necessary to make sure CU remains a top school.
“It is needed because of the lack of state funds,” he said. “I do believe the university needs this tuition revenue to be a quality public institution.”
State officials calculated the proposed $13.8 million cut by determining the difference in revenue between tuition increases of 25 percent and 11 percent. State officials have said they thought the earlier agreement capped CU tuition increases at about 11 percent.
Rick O’Donnell, CCHE executive director, said the proposed budget cut does not include an expected increase of about $30 million in CU’s mandatory costs during the next school year.
John Bliss, CU’s budget vice president, said the school has to review the state’s proposal to determine what cuts would need to be made.
If the JBC approves the proposed CU budget cut, it will be considered by the General Assembly and the governor next year. But CU would have to start looking for cuts before the budget is passed or face severe slashing at the end of the coming fiscal year if the budget cut is approved.
The JBC’s Democrats often support higher education’s point of view while Republicans are likely to side with the Republican governor.
But the JBC’s chairman, Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, said he assumed the authority CU was given to increase tuition would result in tuition-rate hikes of about 11 percent.
“I want to stay neutral, but my concern lies with the in-state students I represent,” he said.
Higher education commissioners urged state and CU officials to find a compromise to avoid a battle in front of the JBC. Incoming CU president Hank Brown said the problem is a breakdown in communications that he hoped could be overcome.
But Hoffman, who steps down June 30, seemed to stand her ground.
“It’s really up to the regents, but if you really want to forward this to the JBC, that’s your prerogative,” she told the commissioners.
Staff writer Arthur Kane can be reached at 303-820-1626 or akane@denverpost.com.
