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AZ: Napolitano wants any student who is qualified to have access to higher education
PhxNews ^ | By HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Posted on 12/31/2003 2:17:39 PM PST by hsmomx3

More tax money for universities in works?

PHOENIX -- Gov. Janet Napolitano promised Tuesday to demand more tax dollars for state universities.

The governor said additional funding is justified even with the state facing a deficit of several hundred million dollars this coming year. She said, though, lawmakers need to look at the spending as an investment.

"In the end it's important that we have world-class institutions for our state," she said. "It sets the tone for a whole lot of other things and will make our work in bringing and keeping knowledge-based economy businesses here easier."

President John Haeger for Northern Arizona University has made a " fairly agressive" budget request to the governor along with the other two state universities.

Napolitano said she wants to be sure that any student who is qualified has access to higher education. She said that can mean community colleges as well as universities and promised to work for what she believes are adequate funds for them.

The governor also said she wants lawmakers to approve additional dollars for job training programs funded by the state Department of Economic Security. She said the lack of these funds, coupled with a shortage of cash for subsidized child care, is resulting in an increase in the state's welfare rolls.

Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said all the goals are worthwhile. And he said he is a particular fan of community colleges, calling them "the best bang for the buck we have."

But Pearce, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said the fiscal reality is the money is not there. He said even with the economy improving tax revenues have not caught up with expenses.

Pearce said any budget Napolitano prepares that increases spending on these priorities without cut

ting somewhere else in state government will be "smoke and mirrors," deferring the cost through borrowing and what he said are other budgetary gimmicks. And Napolitano, who pushed a borrowing plan for this year's budget, does not deny she intends to pursue a similar plan for the coming fiscal year.

The governor acknowledged that the three university presidents have presented "fairly aggressive budget requests."

For example, Arizona State University wants $58 million in additional tax dollars on top of the more than $310 million now given to the three campuses. Northern Arizona University is seeking an extra $11 million.

And the University of Arizona has several high-dollar requests, including $15 million for salary hikes to retain top faculty members.

None of the universities got any additional state cash this year, not even to compensate for higher enrollment. Instead they had to rely on proceeds from a sharp hike in tuition.

But Pearce noted lawmakers did agree to let the universities borrow $440 million to construct new research facilities, with the Legislature on the hook to come up with at least some of those payments.

NAU President John Haeger said, however, that cash only goes for buildings.

He said the salaries being paid to NAU faculty are low in comparison to other peer institutions. And without an additional $5 million just for that the university will lose the most qualified people.

Pearce said while universities and community colleges are important, there are legally higher priorities.

He said public safety, including operating the prison system, is constitutionally mandated. On top of that he said voters have mandated that lawmakers provide more dollars each year for K-12 education and the state's indigent health care program.

That eats up more than half of the tax dollars even before a single budget decision is made, said Pearce, forcing lawmakers to figure out how to divide up what is left. He said that means legislators need to be thinking about cuts in spending, not increases.

University officials already are exploring another tuition increase for the coming school year. Pearce said he has no problem with that, saying the cost of education here is a bargain compared with other states.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: college; highereducation; taxes
She is digging a mighty big hole for those of us who reside in AZ. We will be in deep debt before her first and hopefully final term is up.
1 posted on 12/31/2003 2:17:40 PM PST by hsmomx3
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To: hsmomx3
Napolitano is a sellout to the Mexican government. She needs to be fired come the next election.
2 posted on 12/31/2003 2:20:04 PM PST by Prime Choice (Americans are a spiritual people. We're happy to help members of al Qaeda meet God.)
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To: hsmomx3
Napolitano said she wants to be sure that any student who is qualified has access to higher education

With Jihad Janet, this doesn't mean what most people think it does. Get ready for an illegal alien tuition break bill from her.

3 posted on 12/31/2003 2:25:13 PM PST by Regulator
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To: Regulator
Anybody catch her on KFYI Monday morning? She was asked about stating she would sign any legislation that crossed her desk giving illegals DLs. She basically said that she knew it would never happen and it wasn't an issue and that the station should stop beating the issue to death and whipping everyone into a frenzy over something that had no liklihood of ever happening.

Make any sense to you?

4 posted on 12/31/2003 2:28:51 PM PST by riri
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To: hsmomx3
Funding at Universities would not be a problem if they would cut out all the BS classes. Eliminate the gender studies, black studies, how to be Hispanic and Hate America studies, how to feel good about yourself and flip hamburgers with pride studies and other useless courses, fire the professors and put money into classes that have relevance.
5 posted on 12/31/2003 2:29:11 PM PST by Blue Screen of Death (,/i)
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To: hsmomx3
Can someone explain something to me? What sort of decent-paying job is someone who has a college degree but is not legal to work in the USA going to get? Or are they just waiting for amnesty?
6 posted on 12/31/2003 2:34:48 PM PST by brianl703
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To: riri
Yes, I heard Barry Markson's softball interview. Did you notice that there were no callers permitted to ask questions. Also, she was late to the interview ... no time for caller questions was probably her excuse.

That afternoon, I heard Liddy and Hill take her apart. They kept playing that snippy soundbite of her sounding really in a snit and dissing the radio station!

g

7 posted on 12/31/2003 2:36:33 PM PST by Geezerette (... but young at heart!-)
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To: hsmomx3
LOL...sounds like the perfect plan for the secondary schools....pass 'em all....they'll get a free college education! Public education will soon be a JOKE EVERYWHERE!
8 posted on 12/31/2003 2:40:58 PM PST by goodnesswins (On the SEVENTH Day of CHRISTMAS........)
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To: Blue Screen of Death
You really nailed it!!! My thoughts, exactly!

g

9 posted on 12/31/2003 2:42:51 PM PST by Geezerette (... but young at heart!-)
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To: hsmomx3
This is a really stupid idea. In my mom's state the tuition at the state universities was REALLY cheap, and because of that you had any Tom, Dick and Harry attending and taking up space since they didn't have much money to lose if they realized college wasn't for them--when many of them did realize, since not even halfway through the semesters so many of them dropped out.

It may not be a good thing at all if college is priced too low or is "free," since they'll be many that'll attend, using up resources and class space, because they can and NOT because they're truly serious and dedicated about getting an education. An analogy would be this--the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, other prestigious races, charge a hefty fee just to enter your horse--because if it was free or a cheap fee, everyone would probably enter their junk, broken down nags, 2nd rate animals because they have nothing (or not much to lose). Whereas if you invest a lot of money, you tend to take things much more seriously.
10 posted on 12/31/2003 2:51:58 PM PST by gop_gene
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To: hsmomx3
Any one can work their way through college if they're motivated. Work and some student loans make it possible already for anyone to go to college ---- but what the lazy want is a completely free ride at taxpayer expense. If they can't work and study then they aren't smart enough for college.
11 posted on 12/31/2003 2:58:09 PM PST by FITZ
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To: hsmomx3
Pushing on the string. They need more students--to take the hard courses, to get the hard degrees. The state builds buildings and gets nice furniture. Huge expenditure, no results.
12 posted on 12/31/2003 3:00:43 PM PST by RightWhale (Repeal the Law of the Excluded Middle)
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To: hsmomx3
Arizona Republic newspaper today reports that state tuition fees here in AZ will got up for students. Some students say it will be a hardship because it means they will have less money with which to go out and thus they will have to spend more time at home.
13 posted on 12/31/2003 3:04:07 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
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To: hsmomx3
Read "qualified" as any student that is a non-white male who doesn't want to attend a divinity school or any school that offers ROTC.
14 posted on 12/31/2003 3:08:29 PM PST by pfflier
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To: pfflier
IT WILL A WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY.
15 posted on 12/31/2003 3:28:31 PM PST by jocko12
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To: hsmomx3
There is an serious shortage of those trained in Paleontology. Thousands of job openings. Without them what would the Discovery Channel do...no shows about dinosaurs! Would life be worth living?

I say free education for anyone wanting to become a PhD in Paleontology. No chance of your job being done via the internet by someone in India either!

16 posted on 12/31/2003 3:33:39 PM PST by Voltage
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To: brianl703
What sort of decent-paying job is someone who has a college degree but is not legal to work in the USA going to get?

College professor?

17 posted on 12/31/2003 3:43:38 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (Chilling Effect-1, Global Warming-0)
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To: riri
I think it means she knows it'll be tough sledding on other fronts, and she'd rather not get into the Drivers License fight, which is even bigger. But I believe that she has already said in other places that "looking into" in-state tuition for illegals would be "appropriate".

When you see the Republic and the Tucson Citizen start running sob stories about "children who were brought here through no fault of their own" and how they are "As American as you", you'll know that they are trying to build a consensus for it, in concert with the governor and her handlers.

18 posted on 12/31/2003 4:42:06 PM PST by Regulator
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