2008 Woodie Awards
Our voice: A modest proposal
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Opinion
A contentious issue still before the state legislature this term is funding for public education in the next fiscal year. Thanks to lower state tax revenues, early estimates project an education budget shortfall of half-a-billion dollars for fiscal year 2009, which begins in October.
Governor Riley is proposing a 14 percent funding reduction for higher education as part of his budget plan, which could translate into a multi-million-dollar blow to the state's higher education system.
What it means for Alabama's 14 public universities is not pleasant. Effects could include loss of faculty, fewer class offerings and 25 to 30 percent increases in tuition.
So we here at the Chanticleer dusted off the slide rules and did the math. The governor's proposing a 14 percent cut in funding. Why don't we just attend classes 14 percent fewer days?
To the nearest of our estimation, JSU students had 145 class days in the 2007-08 school year. 14 percent of that is 20.3, which we'll round down to an even 20. That translates into four weeks off. I think we can live with that.
We save money, we save jobs and we save classes. And for not a penny more than we're allotted. The legislature wins, Governor Riley wins and teachers and students definitely win.
So get out those laptops and let's write our representatives down in Montgomery. Tell them we've been doing some thinking, and if they'd like to cut our budget, we'd be more than happy to take the appropriate break.
It's the least we can do to thank them.
Governor Riley is proposing a 14 percent funding reduction for higher education as part of his budget plan, which could translate into a multi-million-dollar blow to the state's higher education system.
What it means for Alabama's 14 public universities is not pleasant. Effects could include loss of faculty, fewer class offerings and 25 to 30 percent increases in tuition.
So we here at the Chanticleer dusted off the slide rules and did the math. The governor's proposing a 14 percent cut in funding. Why don't we just attend classes 14 percent fewer days?
To the nearest of our estimation, JSU students had 145 class days in the 2007-08 school year. 14 percent of that is 20.3, which we'll round down to an even 20. That translates into four weeks off. I think we can live with that.
We save money, we save jobs and we save classes. And for not a penny more than we're allotted. The legislature wins, Governor Riley wins and teachers and students definitely win.
So get out those laptops and let's write our representatives down in Montgomery. Tell them we've been doing some thinking, and if they'd like to cut our budget, we'd be more than happy to take the appropriate break.
It's the least we can do to thank them.
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