A bill that would consolidate all of the state’s higher education governing boards into one “super board” of trustees failed to pass out of the Senate Finance Committee Monday, and is likely dead for the session, after a lengthy debate and stark testimony from college and university leaders.
Louisiana universities are eyeing tuition discounts for neighboring out-of-state students in an effort to revamp enrollment as those nearby states recruit Louisiana students who are uncertain if their TOPS scholarships will be there in the fall.
LSUE was spared most of the $797,151 budget cut it faced earlier this year, and a remaining cut of about $110,000 will be made up by not filling six positions that have opened up this semester.
LSU Economics Professor James Richardson
The head of the Louisiana Revenue Estimating Conference, who is serving on a task force dedicated to systemic changes in the state’s tax code, warns that income taxes may have be on the table in 2017 if the Legislature is serious about fiscal reform.
More than a dozen staff positions and program and course section cuts totaling nearly $800,000 could be coming to LSUE if the state does not find a way to plug an estimated $750 million budget shortfall.
