Well students, there is some good news, bad news, good news and then even more bad news.
So perhaps some kind of good news first – some bills may go down as the price of natural gas has dropped considerably.
But in case this was not obvious or the reader of this column is from out state, Wyoming makes a considerable share of its revenue through natural gas taxes.
“Wyoming can lose up to $120 million,” NPR reporter Bob Beck said back in February. “Gas prices have fallen almost $2 from a fall projection, and forecasts suggest that the revenue drop could last for a few years.”
So here is what it means, and yes this is the bad news – scholarship funds will be reduced by $2.3 million, because of an 8 percent operating budget reduction plan for the next biennium. This reduction comes after the governor requested all state agencies reduce their operating costs because of the falling gas prices.
The good news – students are not alone, if that is any comfort. As it turns out, everyone at the university is getting the shaft and losing scholarship money is not as bad as losing a job.
Oh yeah, which reminds me of the even more bad news – the University of Wyoming will eliminate 80 to 125 non-academic and academic positions with the suggested reductions.
Not to mention other reductions will hit other communities, such as the recommended closure of clinic operations in Pine Bluffs, which effectively shuts down the UW clinic outreach program.
This year may not have the end of the world as the Mayans predicted, but it clearly has some unsettling news for 2013 regarding education at UW.
Perhaps it is time for the governor to step in and save the day. He can be the cowboy saving the damsel in distress, or perhaps the cowboy saving the other cowboy. Is there not some movie about that?
Either way, I offer this, the “I wish” news: The governor will take a stand for higher earning education. This is possible if the legislature authorized a usage of $150 million of the so-called “rainy-day fund” meant to fill gaps in scenarios such as these. With the total reductions of medical and block grants totaling around $17 million dollars, I ask the governor to consider using some of this money for UW. Perhaps we meet you in the center toward education.
What I mean is this, the governor has requested an 8 percent budget decrease, but he could still allow us to reduce our operating costs by 2 percent while making up the difference with the rainy-day fund legislature approved. That way the university will reduce some costs while giving us a chance to plan for the future. It is not a mathematical half per se, but it is a compromise toward education.
With the 2 percent budget cuts, scholarships would still take a hit and jobs would still be cut, but we would still promoting education and clearly stating it as a priority.
It is obvious we cannot go on full throttle if the state is losing money.
But perhaps we can slow down casually instead of over-correcting into a ravine where higher education is severely damaged.
