Virginia21 — a non-partisan, student-led political action committee which advocates on behalf of Virginia college students — is spearheading a petition to reduce state budget cuts on college funding.
In September, the Virginia General Assembly reached a budget agreement that called for major cuts in higher education, causing the University to reduce its planned spending by $8.1 million.
The petition, known as #SaveOurSlice, requests the governor and members of the General Assembly preserve funding currently allocated to Virginia colleges and universities.
Third-year College student Mary Gray Johnson said two-thirds of college tuition was covered by the state in 1989, leaving one-third of tuition to be covered by students. Students have become increasingly responsible for costs through the years, however. This year, students were responsible for two-thirds of tuition costs.
“While funding for higher education made up 14.2 percent of the state budget in 1989, in 2014 it was only 8.3 percent,” Johnson said. “As colleges receive less funding, tuition increases are causing students to graduate with higher levels of student debt.”
Johnson noted the importance of higher education availability in increasing productivity within Virginia.
“We have tried to emphasize to state budget leaders that investment in higher education is worthwhile because it will improve Virginia's workforce and be an economic engine for the state,” Johnson said.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has yet to announce this year’s cuts, but the projected budget plan will be reported before the January General Assembly session. The #SaveOurSlice website indicates the group expects McAuliffe and elected officials to make more than $322 million in budget cuts.
“As the numbers show, colleges have been an easy target in recent decades,” Johnson said. “We decided to take action now to prevent and mitigate cuts that could be made.”
The budget cuts will affect colleges and universities across the state.
“All public universities and colleges were cut in the recent session, and cuts to Virginia's higher education system will affect colleges across the board,” Johnson said.
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