STEWART PROMISES 'WIN-WIN' U. FORMULA
The details of a new formula for distributing state funds to the state's universities will be unveiled next week as the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee readies a budget recommendation for the 2005-06 year. Rep. John Stewart (R-Plymouth) said he hopes the formula and the money that would be allocated to each of the 15 campuses will constitute a "win-win" approach to the annual battles over university funding.
The proposal for a formula - utilizing enrollment, the type of degrees offered, number of degrees awarded and the amount of federal research funds - was announced in press conferences Republicans held two weeks ago, a move that continues to rankle subcommittee Democrats, who complained the information was never shared with them.
Mr. Stewart, who said the proposal embodied a framework for a formula, said at next week's subcommittee meeting he will "roll out the facts and dollar amounts the universities will receive and put everything on the table. We will proceed forward for a win-win budget."
With some campuses expected to see cuts, Mr. Stewart said he has notified all the universities of the intended release of the formula next week so officials can provide feedback. He added he is open to considering changes to the proposal before a bill is approved by the subcommittee June 1 or later.
Decisions on how much will be available for all of higher education will not be finalized by leaders until after Thursday's revenue estimating conference.
The subcommittee's planned review of budget boilerplate language was delayed as Democrats registered their objections to not being more informed about the proposed formula. Rep. Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), who initially raised the issue, was not satisfied by Mr. Stewart's explanation that what had been proposed to date were merely options.
"When people don't have all the information, we have questions," she said. "Until we have communication on both sides of the aisle, it's difficult to have discussions on boilerplate." She said she could not judge the merits of the formula proposal without more information.
That information, Mr. Stewart emphasized, will come next Wednesday and said all legislators were made aware a formula was being considered after the subcommittee heard testimony from the university presidents and which he said formed the basis for the formula.
When the formula was announced, it lacked the numbers for overall university funding and how much weight each factor would be given. Based on the bare details available at that time, some universities supported a funding approach that would be based on performance and objective measurements rather than political considerations.
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