State colleges want legislature to do more
State lawmakers are fond of promoting their support for public higher education, but critics of the Legislature say state government could do more, and the state university system has at least five ideas it hopes the House will embrace this week during fiscal 2018 budget deliberations.
According to Vincent Pedone, a former House member who now represents the interest of public state universities that educate 52,000 students per year, the group is pressing for passage of a Rep. James O'Day amendment (amendment 1,115) that would force the Baker administration to fund the costs of public higher education labor agreements, a second amendment that would boost state university line items to cover last year's collective bargaining agreements (O'Day, 1,106), and a Rep. Michael Moran amendment (1,167) introducing a public records law exemption to allow state universities to withhold students information or data.
State universities are also behind a Rep. Jennifer Benson amendment (625) allowing state universities to grant clinical doctorate degrees and a Rep. Dan Donahue amendment (1,152) restricting certain public financial aid to students attending public higher education.
According to Pedone, about $35 million of the $91 million in the state's financial aid line item is awarded to students attending private colleges, and state universities want the Legislature to reconsider the situation because of the economic stress in the public higher education system.
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