New York State budget finalized, public higher education facing cuts

New York State higher education found itself facing 78.5 percent, or $314 million, of the budget cuts proposed by the governor. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced this past Sunday that they had come to an agreement regarding the 2011-2012 state budget.

The final negotiations over the budget succeeded in restoring $86 million for "higher education including SUNY hospitals, CUNY and CUNY community colleges," according to a statement released by the Governor's office.

The release did not specify any details about where exactly these funds would be restored to, nor did it mention any funds restored to SUNY and CUNY senior colleges, like Baruch.

The 2011-12 Executive Budget Briefing Book published by the Governor's office highlighted the elimination of $135 million in SUNY Hospital Subsidies at three teaching hospitals, which is 8 percent of overall SUNY hospital revenue, and reduction of support by $100 million for SUNY senior colleges and $70.1 million for CUNY colleges, as the most drastic cuts to higher education. A total of $46 million was cut from SUNY and CUNY community colleges totaled by reducing the base aid by 10 percent, or "$226 per fulltime equivalent (FTE) student, from $2,260 to $2,034 per FTE."

The formulas in the budget for calculating the New York Tuition Assistance Program awards reduce the TAP awards for students. According to the briefing book, this will save around $30.8 million in 2011-12 even though "overall funding for TAP would increase by $19.0 million, or 2.3 percent, from 2010-11 levels on an All Funds basis due to enrollment growth."

Even though the negotiations and the final agreement provided some additional funding for higher education from the state, it is unlikely that CUNY senior colleges, including Baruch, will see any of it, as most of the additional funds are to be allocated to SUNY hospitals and community colleges.