The Joint Finance Committee allocated $123 million in state budget cuts for the coming year along party lines Wednesday, $46 million of which will come from the UW System.
The cuts were approved last year in the state budget plan, but Wednesday’s meeting specified where the money would be cut. UW System’s $46 million in cuts accounts for 38 percent of the total.
In the 2007-’09 budget cycle, the UW System shouldered 9.9 percent of the state’s $540 million lapse. In the 2009-’11 cycle, upon facing a $509 million lapse, the UW System’s share of the cuts was 8.7 percent.
Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, argued at Wednesday’s meeting the 38 percent share of the cuts the UW System would suffer under this plan is disproportionate compared to cuts to other government expenditures.
“The University of Wisconsin is no longer a priority for the Republican Party,” Jauch said. “And instead of the Wisconsin Idea, its becoming the Walker nightmare.”
Capitol Police removed four student demonstrators from the meeting after they entered the committee room holding signs in protest to the cuts to the UW System.
“This was not my choice, but it is my problem,” said Damon Terrell, UW-Madison student and protester. “I have to fight to finish my education, not in terms of getting good grades, but getting into the classes I need to graduate. This is because of budget cuts and disproportional lapse allocations to higher education.”
However, Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, the committee’s co-chair, said Wednesday UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward told him the school could handle the cuts.
“We need to have lapses to balance our budget, that should be something everyone – Democrat or Republican – can agree, that our budget must be balanced,” Vos said. “This is not a surprise. These reductions have been planned since the budget was passed in July.”
Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee, issued a statement following the meeting expressing his disappointment in the allocation of cuts.
“Unfortunately Republicans have decided that giving tax breaks to corporations without any guarantee they will create jobs for Wisconsin families is more of a priority than investing in higher education—a proven job creator,” Richards said.
