GOP lawmakers have rejected Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to cut tuition at the University of Wisconsin System, but they’ll continue a tuition freeze for in-state students at system campuses.
Overall, the Republican budget would increase state funding on the UW System by $36 million over the next two years. It would be the first time Republicans have increased state funding for the system since they took control of state government in 2011. “I’m pleased that today we are making an important investment in the UW System,” said Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Hills.
Democrats disputed that, saying when you consider the amount of revenue the UW System would lose under two more years of a tuition freeze, the system would see less funding, not more. “This puts the UW behind,” said Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point. “And I’m disappointed.”
Most of the new state funding the system would receive would be tied to performance measures that would be set by the Board of Regents. The budget committee approved $31 million in performance funding, which is less than the $42 million Walker proposed.
The performance measures would have to emphasize student access, degree completion, contributions to the workforce and enhanced efficiency. That’s far more general than the performance measures proposed by Walker, who wanted to tie state funding to everything from faculty instruction hours to the number of math and science graduates a campus produces.
In a written statement, UW System President Ray Cross praised the plan. “I would like to thank the members of the Joint Finance Committee for their support of the UW System,” Cross said.
The Republican co-chairs of the budget committee also pledged to support back-to-back 2 percent raises for UW System employees later in the budget process, although they did not vote on the raises Thursday. Those would mirror the raises Walker proposed for other state employees.