Michigan Higher ed faces $4.2 million aid cut - Maureen Groppe, Battle Creek Enquirer

Michigan is losing $4.2 million in federal higher education funding as a penalty for having cut state support for colleges and universities too much. The penalty was created by Congress in 2008 as a way to help keep college tuition down by trying to prevent cutbacks in state support. But to avoid losing a $4.2 million grant to help Michigan’s college participation and completion rate, the state would have to restore about $58 million from higher education spending that was cut in 2010. “While the state is always interested in securing as much federal assistance as possible to bolster our education efforts, Michigan remains committed to a budget that is structurally balanced for the future,” said Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the state budget office. “Given the many other priorities in our budget, and given the commitment to structural balance, committing an additional $58 million was not a decision that made sense for Michigan.”