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State Representative Gene Pelowski Jr.
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8637
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
Column/LTE
STUDENT DEBT LIMITS POTENTIAL
I have long been concerned with the escalating cost of attending college, shutting the door to higher education completely for some students, and leaving most with a crippling amount of debt. Unless this issue is addressed, the future of countless young men and women is at risk.
A website (www.winona.edu/studentsenate) that was recently created by students at Winona State University does an excellent job of illustrating this problem. According to this website, the average debt load for college graduates who responded is close to $40 thousand; the low end was under $5 thousand and some debt went well over $100 thousand. Imagine leaving college to start your new life, facing all the challenges that come with it – finding a job, housing, car payments, health insurance. Now, imagine starting down that path with monthly student loan payments amounting to hundreds of dollars. This is a harsh reality that is changing the face of our state and nation, holding back our young people and limiting their access to the American Dream.
We need to stop the trend of double-digit tuition increases in our state. One growing concern of mine is the budget of the central staff office at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), especially when compared to the budgets of the individual campuses. This is money that is not spent on direct student services, but rather on administrative and support costs at the central office.
With an enrollment of roughly 8,000 students, Winona State University has a budget of $28.9 million in '06 and a $29.1 million planning estimate for '07. Minnesota State College - Southeast Tech enrolls roughly 1,500; their budget is $6.3 million in '06 and planning estimate for '07 is $6.4 million.
Compare that to the budget of MnSCU's Central Office. In 2006, the Chancellor's office and the Shared Services Division had a budget of almost $39 million; this is projected to be over $40 million in 2007. This Central Office budget is higher than all but two of MnSCU's 32 campuses.
It is certainly true that this $40 million budget includes important services that benefit all the campuses. However, even if you take out the shared service component, the Chancellor's budget is still $12.2 million in FY 06 and will grow to $12.64 million in 2007. Again, this is higher than 13 of MnSCU's 32 campuses in '06 and 15 in '07.
One argument for merging the former State University, Community College and Technical College systems was that, in addition to improving the quality of their services, one central office would result in improved efficiency and financial savings. While there have certainly been some improvements as a result of this merger, the savings we had hoped for has not materialized.
Last week, I offered an amendment to the State Government Finance Bill that would cap the number of employees in the Chancellor's office of MnSCU at their current level. In a strong indication of agreement on this issue, the amendment passed with bipartisan support. I am not calling for budget cuts in the MnSCU's Central Office. Instead, I offer this as a challenge to these good people who provide valuable services to Minnesota taxpayers: keep your budget in line, or even better, find ways to allocate resources where they are truly needed, to the students who attend any one of MnSCU's campuses - where learning takes place. We need to find creative ways to offer a hand-up to our college students, allowing them to receive the education they need to thrive and compete in the global marketplace.
News Items
- REP. GENE PELOWSKI: MINNESOTA STATUTE 12A IMPROVES STATE DISASTER RECOVERY PROCESS AND DISASTER RELIEF PACKAGE - (Posted: 2012-08-24 00:00:00)
- REP. GENE PELOWSKI AND SEN. JEREMY MILLER SUPPORT TWO-BRIDGE PROPOSAL - (Posted: 2012-08-23 00:00:00)
- REP. GENE PELOWSKI: STATE DISASTER RECOVERY PACKAGE SHOULD FOLLOW PROCESS OUTLINED IN 12A AND INCLUDE PUBLIC INPUT - (Posted: 2012-08-16 00:00:00)
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