Last year the state legislature approved a new funding scheme for higher education meant to reward schools that move students efficiently toward a degree. Now state-run schools are asking for the reward money, even as they’re supposed to propose cuts to their own budgets.
The Board of Regents and University of Tennessee systems have estimated the impact of a five percent cut as they were asked to do. But at their budget hearing with the governor, Higher Education Commission director Rich Rhoda made the case for more money.
“Just the first year that we’re into this, more students completing degrees, better retention rates of existing students and more remedial and developmental successes.”
Rhoda says most of the extra $29 million dollars being requested would go to high-performing campuses.
The Board of Regents has already approved a tuition increase in the range of three to six percent for most schools next year – lower if they get the extra money, higher if they don’t.
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