Louisiana higher education leaders are bracing for the possibility of major budget cuts next year, a prospect they said could be devastating after years of reduced funding for the state’s public colleges and universities, our media partners at The Advocate report.
Members of the Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees public higher education, raised alarms during its Wednesday meeting about the potential budget shortfall if a state sales tax sunsets next year. Board staff said they were told by officials in Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration to plan for the possibility of a $250 million revenue reduction in the 2025-26 fiscal year if the tax expires, the newspaper reports.
The four systems that operate nearly 30 of the state’s higher education institutions overseen by the Regents would be affected: University of Louisiana, Louisiana State University, Southern University and Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges System.
The Advocate reports that the systems will receive about $1.3 billion in state aid this coming fiscal year. A loss of $250 million would equate to a nearly 20% budget cut.
The hit would come after colleges and universities were struck with millions in cuts during former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration and when enrollment numbers may see a decrease because of a botched rollout of changes to the federal student aid system, the newspaper reports.
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