Wolf calls on state colleges to freeze tuition

After years of flat or declining funding, Pennsylvania's state universities and community colleges would see significant increases in their budgets under Gov. Wolf's proposed spending plan unveiled Tuesday.

But as Wolf said in his budget address, there are strings attached: He asked the colleges to freeze tuition for next year.

"And I expect them to answer that call," he said.

Under Wolf's proposal, the 14 state universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) would get a $45.3 million or 11 percent bump in funding for 2015-16, raising its total allocation to $458 million. The proposal is part of a two-year plan to make up for the state cuts and stagnant funding the universities have endured over the last several years. The universities would get another increase in 2016-17.

The 14 universities include: West Chester, Cheyney, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Slippery Rock, Millersville, Clarion, Edinboro, California, Lock Haven, Mansfield and Shippensburg.

Full-time in-state students at the state universities currently pay a base tuition of $6,820 annually.

While enthused about the governor's proposal, state system officials said they are unsure they will be able to freeze tuition, though they will try.

The governor's proposed funding increase is about $4.6 million less than the system had asked for, said spokesman Kenn Marshall. And the system is in the middle of labor negotiations with almost all of its unions, including faculty, to replace contracts that expire in June.

"If those new contracts result in increased personnel costs, that's going to have to be taken into account as well," he said. "We're going to do all we can …to freeze tuition. It really depends on the final outcome of the budget and the final outcome of those negotiations."

The state's 14 community colleges would receive a $15 million or a seven percent boost in funding under Wolf's plan.

But the state is only one source of funding for community colleges; they also rely on their host counties and sponsoring school districts, points out Karen A. Stout, long-time president of Montgomery County Community College.

Stout said the college will aim to meet the governor's request to freeze tuition, but also will prepare an alternate budget.

"There are too many other pieces," she said. "It's not as simple as the state saying we're going to give you x. There are other drivers to the budget. But we'll work with that as our intention and see how it plays out."

Stout noted that the college has worked to keep tuition increases as low as possible. Last year, tuition went up 3.2 percent, she said.

Donald Generals, president of the Community College of Philadelphia, also said the college would do all that it could to hold the line on tuition. The college did not raise tuition for the current year.

"We would have to see exactly what the ultimate appropriation will be," he said. "Certainly the idea of not raising tuition is something we're working toward…"

The governor's proposal, he said, "would go a long way toward enabling us to do that."

A full-time student at the Philadelphia community college currently pays $2,555 per semester in tuition and fees.

The four "state-related" universities — Penn State, Temple, Lincoln and the University of Pittsburgh — also would receive an increase in funding under Wolf's proposal, $81 million collectively.

But Wolf has not asked those universities to freeze tuition, but rather to keep any potential increases low.

Why the difference?

"…the state's contribution to the community colleges and PASSHE schools' total revenue is much greater than that of the state-related universities," explained Jessica Hickernell, an education department spokeswoman.

Under Wolf's proposal, Penn State would get the biggest chunk of new funding - $49.6 million - raising its total allocation to $263.7 million.

"We greatly appreciate Governor Wolf's proposal to restore funding cuts to Penn State," Penn State spokesman Lawrence Lokman said in a prepared statement. "We recognize that this is the first step in the state budget process, and that the General Assembly will be closely examining this proposal.…"

Temple would receive $15.4 million in additional funding — its first boost in four years — raising its total allocation to $155.3 million.

"We are grateful for the governor's investment in public higher education in Pennsylvania," said Temple President Neil D. Theobald, noting that the university has kept base tuition increases at 2.4 percent in recent years. "The restored funds in the governor's proposal — if approved by the General Assembly — will go directly to helping us hold down tuition and recruit the best faculty."

Pitt would get a $14.9 million increase under the proposal (to a total of $151.2 million) and Lincoln $921,000 (t