Tuition would rise while funding for higher education would drop to levels not seen in decades under bills proposed for fiscal year 2012-13 by both House and Senate Republican majorities. Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia criticized the bills, saying they represent “the largest (higher education) cut in the history of Minnesota.” The House bill, which passed 69-60 in late March, would decrease higher education funding by $411 million, or a 14.1-percent base reduction.
“The bill stinks,” said Rukavina. “There’s no highlights in here, just lowlights.”
The Senate bill, approved 37-27 along party lines, slashes funding for the University of Minnesota by 19 percent, or $243 million, while the Minnesota State Colleges and University’s budget would shrink by 13 percent, or about $167 million.
