Dive Brief:
- Higher education institutions in Louisiana could go from a $924 million appropriation from the state legislature to just $391 million if elected officials don’t agree on a revision to Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s budget.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that college and university leaders are lobbying for funding more than they’re planning for the debilitating cuts, choosing to believe the worst-case scenario won’t play out.
- WWL TV in Louisiana reports that one legislator is proposing an increase in the tobacco tax from 36 cents a pack to $1.41 a pack to close part of the $1.6 billion budget hole.
Dive Insight:
At a time when most states are increasing funding to higher education, working to recover the money cut from the Great Recession, Louisiana stands as a sharp outlier. Jindal’s budget threatens to decimate operations at 28 public colleges and universities. According to Inside Higher Ed, the state’s commission of higher education would have only $123.6 million to spend across all of its schools after some of the appropriations go to scholarships and other mandates. Most believe the state couldn’t possibly go through with the cuts, but even if the worst-case scenario gets scrapped, Louisiana's higher education institutions are sure to see major cuts this year.