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re: Here is an easy $62.5 million to address the states shortfall.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 1:42 pm to s-port tiger
Posted on 3/3/16 at 1:42 pm to s-port tiger
McNeese is very important for the Industrial center in SWLA (the fastest growing area of the State that is actually doing well economically). You obviously just picked the schools that you perceived were insignificant based on ignorance.
This post was edited on 3/3/16 at 1:52 pm
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Posted on 3/3/16 at 1:50 pm to atltiger6487
quote:
But on average, the efficiency of private sector workers is far greater than government workers. There are very few reasonable people that would deny that.
I am a very reasonable person, and I have seen the averages. I think the averages are skewed, because it is so easy to fire a non-performing employee in the private sector v. the public sector.
I also think it depends on if you are talking professional titles or general state v. private employees.
I think if you compare the accountants at P&N in Baton Rouge against the accountants for the state, P&N would blow the state out of the water, simply because P&N accountants are asked to do more than state accountants.
But, I still think generally, the efficiency of good state employees are on par with good private sector employees.
Also, I stated before that DSCS needs to take a look at the difficulty in firing underperforming employees. If you treat it more like the private sector, the average employee would be better.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:06 pm to Guava Jelly
quote:
So your brilliant idea to fix the ailing higher ed system is to dismantle it?
Louisiana ranks near the bottom of the list in nearly every measurable educational statistic (including post-secondary attainment). In spite of what you see as budget mismanagement, Louisiana is at or near the bottom in higher ed expenditures. Also, if memory serves, Louisiana institutions rank in the top 15 in higher ed budget efficiency nationally.
Louisiana is 25th in population but has the 8th most State Universities in the country. It seems like we would be much better served by doing away with some of the satellite campuses and consolidate some of them.
LSU-S, Southern-S, Northwestern state consolidate
ULL, LSU-A, LSU-E consolidate
ULM, LA Tech consolidate
UNO, SUNO consolidate
I don't really know what to do with the HBC main campuses but it's ridiculous that we have 3 Universities in the Shreveport area and 3 in the Lafayette/Alex area. The other schools: Nichols, Mcneese, and Southeastern probably serve large enough population bases to justify keeping them around. It's not about doing away with the seats from the consolidated schools, but the amount of money spent paying for all these administrations and all these different facilities could be better spent on a smaller number of schools. I'm sure there are issues with my "proposal", but if the state can't fund the number of campuses it has then the simple solution is to lower the number of campuses.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:10 pm to Geecubed
quote:Sister works for the state and is overloaded, so I'm not who you seek to differ with.
Just because you think that all state employees are lazy and worthless, because you had a bad experience at OMV or the public assistance office, does not mean that all state employees fit that bill.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:11 pm to Macavity92
quote:
There is no reason why we need full 4 year universities for each geographic area of the state. People may have to travel to go to school.
Travel isn't possible for a lot of people who are trying to attend a four year school because of the ever increasing cost of attendance.
quote:
I doubt the economic impact is as large as you are stating. Many of the areas with these universities have not grown tremendously due to hosting universities. The Monroe/Ruston area has three universities. The combined population of those two towns is under 75,000. Staggering growth has not occurred. Moreover, none of the smaller schools are world class research universities bringing in millions of dollars via their research.
Viewed in as small a lens as Ruston, it doesn't seem that great. But dismantling the higher ed system is going to have a significant negative impact on the economy whether or not you think so. To your point that they aren't drawing research money, that's because the state's constant cuts force top-tier researchers out of the state. Even at LSU there is no money for such research.
quote:
es, people would lose jobs. People are losing jobs all over the state right now.
quote:
As for the brain drain, it has been advertised for years. It has either already happening or is overrated.
These two are hand-in-hand. People are losing jobs because the state's economy is so dependent on the oil industry. You know why the state is so dependent on the oil industry? Because so few people got post-secondary educations, electing instead to go to the oilfield. Many of those who did want to advance in other industries leave (I am among them).
Cutting McNeese for example, would eliminate arguably the best engineering program in the region. So you'd be eliminating opportunities for a lot of people who would otherwise get a quality education, forcing them onto the already overburdened oilfield teat. So stagnant oil prices would be felt even more acutely by the school.
Again, all this is fine fodder for a thought experiment. And certainly some schools in very close proximity could be consolidated. But an overhaul including the shuttering of half the schools in the state isn't prudent in the short term. If you want to trim the fat, look into the areas that have enjoyed constitutional protection.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:19 pm to MLCLyons
quote:
I'm sure there are issues with my "proposal", but if the state can't fund the number of campuses it has then the simple solution is to lower the number of campuses.
What I'm saying is if it were that simple, it would have been done already. Not only are there costs associated with these moves that aren't being considered here, but these are also moves that would require action by the state congress and likely the voters in each of the districts affected.
Consolidating the higher ed systems makes sense. Consolidating campuses that are close to one another makes sense. But that costs money and takes years. The state is looking for a way out of a financial bind (mind you a bind that was not corrected by eight consecutive years of higher ed cuts) caused by the prior administration. They need something in the short term.
If it's not a tax hike for someone (*oilcompanies*), the cuts are going to have to come from somewhere else.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:32 pm to Guava Jelly
but these are also moves that would require action by the state congress and likely the voters in each of the districts affected
Ding, ding, ding. So instead of what's in people's best interest, lawmakers worry more about reelection. LA is going nowhere fast.
Ding, ding, ding. So instead of what's in people's best interest, lawmakers worry more about reelection. LA is going nowhere fast.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:42 pm to MLCLyons
quote:
3 in the Lafayette/Alex area
Hammond is like 40min from BR, while ULL and LSUA are 2hrs apart.
Geographics should be considered in your plan as much or more than population base, as many commute.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:47 pm to Dock Holiday
Jindal cut state employee numbers from somewhere near 90k to near 60k in his tenure.
LINK
Chew on that for a minute and realize if he had not done that where would we be?
BATON ROUGE – As Bobby Jindal prepared for his 2008 inauguration as governor, state government workers numbered about 93,500.
quote:
Today, that workforce hovers at 62,000 employees — fewer than it’s been in more than two decades. Spending on payroll has decreased by about $1 billion annually
That is true, however, if you look at the salaries for the top contracted employees, that is where the imbalance of state payroll lays. It is top-heavy.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:53 pm to Dock Holiday
quote:
Jindal cut state employee numbers from somewhere near 90k to near 60k in his tenure.
As I have said before, check the number of contract employees. The work can get done one of two ways, by state employees or contract workers. Which option is cheaper? I'll go with option one. A simple head count does not tell the whole story.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 2:59 pm to RummelTiger
..................... 
Posted on 3/3/16 at 3:08 pm to Mayhawman
quote:
Hammond is like 40min from BR, while ULL and LSUA are 2hrs apart.
Geographics should be considered in your plan as much or more than population base, as many commute.
Yeah I know Alex isn't really the same area, but LSU-A has an enrollment of 2,600, Southeastern has an enrollment of 15,400. SELU is too big to fold and it clearly has enough enrollment that it shouldn't need to. Why do we need a campus in Alexandria serving 2,600 and one in Eunice serving 3,000? LSU-A's campus is 1h15m from ULLs and LSU-E's is 50min, there's no reason for those campuses to exist.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 3:10 pm to MLCLyons
quote:
Why do we need a campus in Alexandria serving 2,600 and one in Eunice serving 3,000? LSU-A's campus is 1h15m from ULLs and LSU-E's is 50min, there's no reason for those campuses to exist.
LSUE is a community college. It serves a different market than ULL. LSUA is a 4 year school for some unknown reason. It should be knocked back to a community college at the very least.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 3:18 pm to MLCLyons
quote:
LSU-S, Southern-S, Northwestern state consolidate
Southern of Shreveport is a community college. If it is to be merged, it should be with BPCC, not LSUS and Northwestern St.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 3:53 pm to Geecubed
quote:
This is a stereotype, promulgated because of the idiots at OMV and the Public Assistance offices. Most state employees work for every penny they receive, as the state has cut vacancies and funding several times over the past 9 years.
So yeah, step off your soapbox, and come back with some shite when you know what you are talking about.
I'd like to hear exactly which SOL agency is run with a high degree of efficiency. By this I mean a number of FTE's which are directly proportionate to the population and quality of services provided. It's basic finance and Louisiana is too corrupt to make the necessary changes to right the ship. I'm only comparing La to AZ below but you can run the numbers against most other states and you will find a very consistent result. La does need to trip a significant number of state jobs. La also has an education system which ranks in the bottom 20% and CLEARLY doesn't support the need for so many state funded colleges. I've seen the waste in one SOL agency up close and personal. It's a complete joke and I'm talking about 7 FTE's whom I've watched for 35 years. The biggest decision that they make on a daily basis is what they will eat for lunch.
Louisiana GDP = 252b
Arizona GDP = 295b
Louisiana Population = ~4.6m
Arizona Population = ~6.7m
Louisiana State Employee Benefits payout = ~2.8b
Arizona State Employee Benefits payout = ~2.5b
So Arizona has 47% higher population, has a GDP which is only 17% higher than La, yet they spend $500 million LESS on their state employee benefits. If you were able to get an accurate accounting of the production per state employee (like WTF are they getting done), those statistics would look even worse.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 4:05 pm to ProjectP2294
quote:
LSUE is a community college. It serves a different market than ULL. LSUA is a 4 year school for some unknown reason. It should be knocked back to a community college at the very least.
Why can't 4yr Universities offer 2yr degrees? Right now BRCC has tracks that are designed to get your 2yr degree and then go to LSU, start as a Junior, and get the comparable 4yr degree. Why don't more schools offer this sort of program internally? Do they feel the 2yr degrees degrade the image of the 4yr institution or what? I'm legitimately curious about this.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 4:48 pm to MLCLyons
quote:I can see LSUE consolidated with LSUA, but closing LSUA leaves a fairly large hole in the state's center, regardless of enrollment #s.
Why do we need a campus in Alexandria serving 2,600 and one in Eunice serving 3,000?
Posted on 3/3/16 at 4:49 pm to Guava Jelly
quote:
First of all, you wouldn't be able to cut McNeese if this were the logic because it's the only school in SWLA.
So is there some sort of law saying you need a 4 year university in every part of the state?
I think it will be difficult to just close some of the unis, but having to commute further shouldn't be one of the reasons why not to.
Posted on 3/3/16 at 4:56 pm to OU812
quote:so much wrong with this statement
Stop giving state tax payer money($400 million) to the richest man(Tom Benson) in Louisiana as well.
Posted on 3/8/16 at 2:22 am to bee Rye
quote:
so much wrong with this statement
LOL! So it was ok with that the RICHEST man in the Louisiana to use the tragedy of Katrina to extort that $400 million from STATE tax payers? Get real and take off those Saints blinders!
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