The heads of the state's two public university systems warned that significant budget cuts could occur without state aid.
The Connecticut State University System (CSCU) and the University of Connecticut told lawmakers Tuesday they could face layoffs without additional support.
“This would be an absolute code red, DEFCON 1 situation,” CSCU President Terrence Chen said.
CSCU is currently budgeted to receive $401 million next year, but Chen said the system faces a shortfall of about $140 million. He is asking for an additional $47.6 million.
The University of Connecticut and UConn Health will receive $394 million next year. President Radenka Marić asked Congress for a total of $64 million to cover a total budget shortfall of $92 million.
But some lawmakers warned there may not be enough support to meet those requests.
Sen. Kathy Osten (D-Sprague), co-chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, said funding pleas from child care providers, local schools and nonprofit service providers also need to be considered. .
“If you add those up and don't address the issue of us paying up to what we're owed in pensions, that's about $200 million, which is on the lighter side,” she said. Told.
Lawmakers also questioned the two officials about cost-cutting measures, raising concerns, among other things, about excessive management and soaring salaries.
“This is what my constituents bring to me every January. Have you seen your paycheck?” asked Rep. Kathy Kennedy (R-Milford).
Malik said UConn is constantly evaluating employee salaries and how much each department is spending.
“We're not like, 'This is the Wild West, we've got all the money and we can do whatever we want,'” she says.
Meanwhile, higher education officials have warned that the cuts will have a negative impact on students.
“We're already seeing the dramatic negative effects of this budget, even in this budget cycle,” said Debbie Herman, director of the Manchester State Library in Connecticut.
While the fight is over whether to increase higher education funding in the current two-year budget, the debate over CSCU also touches on broader issues.
Enrollment in the CSCU system has declined by nearly 34,000 since its peak of 97,160 in 2010.
“Businesses need to respond to and serve the market and strive to tailor their products to that market,” said Jeffrey Beckham, director of the Office of Policy and Management.
Lawmakers also said the debate could wait until after the current budget debate, but it would determine how they view potential spending increases next year.
“To me, the community college system really needs to work on it,” Osten said.
