State budget shortfalls have caused Democratic Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to propose allowing public colleges to increase tuition.
Warner proposed to allow state colleges to increase tuition for in-state students by up to 5 percent. He also advocated letting colleges increase tuition by more than 5 percent for out-of-state students.
The governor "is favoring in-state students," Warner's spokeswoman Ellen Qualls said.
In-state costs at the University have remained constant at $4,335 since the General Assembly froze tuition in 1995-1996.
Qualls indicated that Warner will allow individuals schools to decide whether to raise tuition.
"It's up to the discretion of the school," she added.
Leonard W. Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer, interpreted the proposal differently, but noted that he still was trying to understand Warner's plan more fully.
"There is some option in there to raise tuition," Sandridge said, but added that "there is also a requirement to raise tuition."
Much of the money from any tuition increase would go toward efforts to alleviate the state's fiscal problems.
"A portion of the tuition would be used to offset the state's budget problems," Sandridge said, adding that some of the funds raised might also go directly to the University.
In his final budget, former Gov. James S. Gilmore III proposed to allow schools to increase tuition by up to $200 for in-state students. Warner announced his amendments to Gilmore's budget proposal this week. The amendments included changing the $200 increase to a 5 percent increase per student.
"We thought it was fairer to have a percentage increase," Qualls said.
The proposal is just one of several budget cuts Warner is suggesting to compensate for the state's current budget shortfalls of approximately $1.3 billion this year and $3.5 billion over the next 30 months.
Warner's plan also includes putting off salary increases for all state workers for the next two years, including University employees.
Sandridge expressed concern about effects of frozen salaries on employee recruitment and retention.
"We do worry about the impact that would have on our employees," he said.
Sandridge hopes the situation will be reminiscent of the early 1990s, when salary freezes prompted few employee departures.
Other aspects of Warner's plan include holding off on any further car tax cuts, using revenue from the state's transportation trust fund to help balance the budget, and considering across-the-board budget cuts.
Republicans, who hold majorities in both the State Senate and House of Delegates, acknowledge the need for budget cuts, but are reluctant to embrace the specifics of Warner's proposal.
"My priority is producing a balanced budget," Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Chichester (R-Fairfax) said. "When you have $1.3 to $1.5 billion dollars in shortfall, of course there will have to be cuts."
Chichester declined to say whether he would support a tuition increase, a salary freeze or any other aspects of Warner's plan.
Qualls said that Warner had "verbal agreements" from the leadership of the House and Senate to support the basic tenets of his budget proposal.
She said that though Warner was unhappy with the budget cuts, they were necessary to the state's constitutionally mandated balanced budget.
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