Some community college students may see lower tuition under a higher-education budget approved by the Republican-led House Monday, while University of Minnesota students hoping for the same were largely shut out.
Legislators voted 72-55 to approve a $2.9 billion higher education funding bill that contains about $56 million in new spending.
The bill would use limited funds to surgically reduce tuition for certain groups. Tuition freezes would apply only to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' two-year community colleges in the upcoming academic year and its seven universities the following year. Those four-year MnSCU universities could raise tuition as much as 3 percent in the 2015-16 school year, while two-year colleges would be given funding that would allow for a 1 percent reduction in the 2016-17 school year.
More than 400,000 MnSCU students stand to benefit from the House proposal, which provides $105 million to keep tuition rates from rising, said Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, who chairs the House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee.
"We're making some of the tuition lower for some students, and we're very proud of that," Nornes said shortly before debate on the omnibus legislation began.
The University of Minnesota, which had requested $65 million for tuition freezes, was largely shut out in the House legislation.
University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said recently that he was "deeply disappointed" that the U's funding request was ignored.
Only two U campuses would see additional funding under the GOP proposal: Crookston and Morris, both in areas represented by Republicans. Crookston would get $2.15 million to reinstate its agricultural education program, while Morris would get $1.4 million for campus improvements, including $400,000 for athletic fields. The latter was criticized by DFLers because it typically would be considered a bonding request. House Republicans have said they will not propose a bonding bill this session.
The DFL-led Senate, by contrast, allocates $60 million for tuition freezes at the University of Minnesota, and $25 million for the U's medical school in its recently passed bill.
Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, also criticized the higher education plan because it would take $53 million from the state's grant program to fund other parts of the bill. The program offers need-based scholarships to low-income students headed for college.
"We've never had a cut to the State Grant Program, and shifting more than $50 million out of that program will only serve to pile debt on those who can least afford it," Pelowski said in a statement. "This bill puts all of the progress we've made in jeopardy."
Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said the snubbing of the University of Minnesota, save for the Crookston and Morris campuses, is politically motivated. Thissen called it unprecedented that just one of the state's university systems received new funding when the state is projecting a budget surplus.
The House plan also addresses how college campuses handle sexual assault cases. Schools will now be required to beef up sexual assault reporting procedures, coordinate with local law enforcement and provide training for students and campus staff, among other new requirements.
Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, attempted unsuccessfully to amend the legislation to require female rape victims be informed of the availability of emergency contraception.
"Helping women through the trauma of a sexual assault shouldn't be a partisan issue," Murphy said in a statement. "I'm shocked that the Republicans in the Minnesota House refused to act on this issue."
The legislation also provides some policy changes, including efforts to address teaching shortages throughout Minnesota by offering loan forgiveness. Another part of the plan would pilot a one-year student teaching program for future educators. College students earning "college ready" scores on the ACT college entrance exam would also be exempt from taking remedial courses in subject areas they receive a passing score on.
Ricardo Lopez • 651-925-5044
