Gov. John Kasich introduced a new budget proposal for the 2014-15 fiscal year on Monday that was greeted with positive reactions from several Ohio University student organizations.
The proposed budget will slightly increase the State Share of Instruction – the method used to distribute state money to Ohio’s public colleges. State Share of Instruction will increase by $33 million, or 1.9 percent in funding in 2014, and $34 million, or 1.9 percent in funding in 2015, according to the budget.
“It’s always positive when there’s an increase in funding. It’s good to see the governor is working hard to fund and improve higher education,” said Giles Allen, OU Student Senate’s Governmental Affairs Commissioner.
OU College Democrats agree but also said they would’ve hoped to see it the past two years, according to Brigid Iverson, communications director for OU College Democrats.
“We’re relieved to see the governor focusing on higher education through understanding that students throughout Ohio and at OU can be struggling to make tuition payments,” she said. “Obviously higher education is really important and we’re glad he’s placing focus on that.”
The new budget also proposes a 2 percent cap on increases for in-state and undergraduate tuition, a decline from the current 3.5 percent cap.
“The 2 percent cap will definitely make it a bit easier on students’ pockets,” said Student Senate President Zach George. “But a bigger responsibility now falls on the university to find alternate ways to make up for that difference.”
Additionally, the budget will focus primarily on graduation rates, instead of enrollment rates, for funding.
OU ranked third among Ohio four-year public universities with a six-year graduation rate of 82 percent in 2011, according to the most recent Board of Regents data.
In 2012, OU’s four-year graduation rate was 65 percent, surpassing the average of 46 percent among Ohio four-year public universities, according to the Sept. 2012 Board of Trustees meeting.
As stated in the budget, 50 percent of the State Share Instruction will be distributed based on degree completion, or the number of students who actually graduate with a degree, according to a previous article in The Post.
“Changes needed to be made somewhere and I think (basing funding off graduation rates versus enrollment) is a good start to see if it works better than previous years,” said Ryan Dilworth, president of OU College Republicans.
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