Spring Break
Sen. Johnson calls Colorado budget "spider-web"
Aaron Hedge
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: News
And the current hikes still aren't enough
"It isn't enough for institutions to charge 16 percent more in tuition," Johnson said.
But he said that legislators can't ask much more from the students because that would also discourage parents from paying more taxes to fund higher education. If they see a huge tuition increase, like CSU's 2007-08 hike, they won't vote for a tax increase as well, Johnson said.
"We're leaving the state with a huge problem in 2010 or 2011 that our state budget is unsustainable," he said. "I mean we've got a 6 percent limitation on how much you can (hike taxes) a year, that's whatever the inflation rate is.
"We have a revenue limit that limits that amount of revenue that comes into the state and it grossly underestimates the growing needs of the state," he added.
And higher education is at the bottom of the priority list.
"Higher education gets the crumbs that are left, and that isn't a good way to target something that's so critical to the future of the economic development," Johnson said. "We're probably $800 million behind the peer institutions in other states, so do you think $2 million is enough? No, it isn't."
He said huge measures have to be taken to fix the budget before higher education gets better.
"Our constitution is a mess, it's a spider web … you can't unbuckle a strap on a straightjacket and expect to escape," Johnson said.
Associate News Editor Aaron Hedge can be reached at news@collegian.com.
"It isn't enough for institutions to charge 16 percent more in tuition," Johnson said.
But he said that legislators can't ask much more from the students because that would also discourage parents from paying more taxes to fund higher education. If they see a huge tuition increase, like CSU's 2007-08 hike, they won't vote for a tax increase as well, Johnson said.
"We're leaving the state with a huge problem in 2010 or 2011 that our state budget is unsustainable," he said. "I mean we've got a 6 percent limitation on how much you can (hike taxes) a year, that's whatever the inflation rate is.
"We have a revenue limit that limits that amount of revenue that comes into the state and it grossly underestimates the growing needs of the state," he added.
And higher education is at the bottom of the priority list.
"Higher education gets the crumbs that are left, and that isn't a good way to target something that's so critical to the future of the economic development," Johnson said. "We're probably $800 million behind the peer institutions in other states, so do you think $2 million is enough? No, it isn't."
He said huge measures have to be taken to fix the budget before higher education gets better.
"Our constitution is a mess, it's a spider web … you can't unbuckle a strap on a straightjacket and expect to escape," Johnson said.
Associate News Editor Aaron Hedge can be reached at news@collegian.com.
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