re: La. higher ed cuts could go well over $300 million...

I'm just tired of LA being so bad in education. We really really need an academic overhaul. Especially with all the oil companies that work through LA and all the agriculture we have here.

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quote: I'm just tired of people looking at LA so bad in education. Don't forget English and grammar!

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It's late, I'm tired. I could not care less about a petty grammatical error. DIAF, jump off a bridge. You know, all the regular O-T responses.

I thought LSU got permission to raise tuition up to 10% a year when a budget cut arises?

My concern is LSU keeps raising tuition and education doesn't get much better. LSU facility services was gutted so much they can barely cut grass and certainly cannot maintain buildings. So many buildings are in need of general maintenance like pressure washing and missing clay tiles on roofs, but LSU can't even handle that.


From 2010 article:

Gov. Bobby Jindal is proposing that state lawmakers give up their authority over college tuition and fee increases if colleges meet certain performance standards.

Four-year schools would have to increase admission standards and improve graduation rates, while community and technical colleges would have to show improvement in getting students into jobs.

In exchange, schools could raise their tuition and fee costs without a vote of the Legislature by up to 10 percent a year until they reach the average of similar schools.

After that, colleges could hike tuition up to five percent a year or up to the increase in an index that tracks higher education costs around the country.

Jindal announced the proposal Tuesday. Lawmakers will consider it in the legislative session that begins March 29.

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He wants to be a no tax increase guy so he can position right for 2016

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Hard to see this happening since he bumbles everything he does on a national stage. Not to mention his approval rating in Louisiana is at an all time low by people who voted for him.

A state that ranks last or next to last in education and health care, yup, lets cut it again. Doesn't look good on a national stage.

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My concern is LSU keeps raising tuition and education doesn't get much better. LSU facility services was gutted so much they can barely cut grass and certainly cannot maintain buildings. So many buildings are in need of general maintenance like pressure washing and missing clay tiles on roofs, but LSU can't even handle that.

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In general this is my biggest concern. Instead of reworking the whole higher educations system, including consolidating boards, consolidating and closing schools, our fcked up state will just keep things as is.
Instead of building up four or five good schools, we will just make them all sink lower and lower.

Keep up the good work dumbasses.

John Alario is publicly saying that the Pennington Biomedical Research Center could be one of the closures due to the budget cuts. Jindal will trim $100 million from the education budget on Feb. 6 at the joint budget committee and they will vote the same day. Another $150 million more will be cut in 2016. Alario was also named to the Louisiana Revenue Estimating Committee as the Chair for 2015.

"Alario says he's also heard that LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center is in danger if this type of cut comes down. He says they need to put their heads together and try to figure out how to fix this problem.

"I'm not sure we can eliminate it all, but we are looking at all options," said Alario."
LINK

But dat surplus !

There are people on THIS BOARD who think that every town of over 50,000 people ought to have its own 4 year university. They defend the likes of McNeese, Nicholls, ULM, etc. on this basis. Gotta have something for the working people, brah. Well, the hayride is over, brah. Time to shut em down. Higher education is a privilege, not a right.

The problem is that nobody wants THEIR school shut down. It is political suicide for a legislator from one of these places to let that happen. Thus, we need some legislators who have a death wish.

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ding ding ding!

He can only cut want he is allowed to and that is a very limited scope. He wants to be a no tax increase guy so he can position right for 2016. The only thing left for him to do is to continue cutting higher ed.

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He's been in office for going on 7 years now. He could've easily addressed this and actually become legendary as a Louisiana governor. Instead, he chose to be a pussy and puff his chest out on matters that were convenient and useful to his national agenda. Translation: He's just another douche bag politician.

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A state that ranks last or next to last in education and health care, yup, lets cut it again. Doesn't look good on a national stage.

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And that's the sole fault of the Gov?
Again, where is the legislature? this state has been at the bottom of the list for most things except syphilis for years. BJ has been governor for two terms. In all that time, has a single legislator put forth a plan to change things? Has any state rep ever done one fricking thing to protect higher ed or healthcare? Or propose anything that will make matters better? Essentially "NO!" Everyone wants to blame the governor- regardless of who it is- but no one ever holds their state reps accountable for shite. Contrary to popular opinion, the governor, while powerful, isn't autonomous.
Moreover everyone needs to remember these budget games have gone on for years. Everyone is negotiating at this point. The Governor wants to make cuts so he asks for more than he thinks he can get. Higher education special interests squeal and scream and go full dooms day manic over the proposal hoping the cuts will be minimal. In the end, the cuts won't be that bad, Neither LSU nor Pennigton or any other entity (that matters) will be closed. All of you who are bitching about this are being played by our politicians. Sure the budgets will be cut, but not to the extent being thrown around at this point. Just chill.
In the meantime, call your legislator and tell him/her to get off their arse and fix the problem as you see it.