tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post2639324448613810917..comments2023-11-03T03:52:37.873-05:00Comments on Cognitive Dissidence: Scott Walker Republican Extremist! Somebody DO Something!http://www.blogger.com/profile/08717747685928127724noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-68094515557252588262015-02-10T19:14:30.036-06:002015-02-10T19:14:30.036-06:00Here's another Walker whopper on the UW that n...Here's another Walker whopper on the UW that needs some more attention...<br /><br />Last week Walker issued a string of tweets attempting to minimize his proposed cuts to the UW, including this one:<br /><br />Our budget changes are only 2.5% of the total UW System operating budget. 2.5%. In return, they get long-term flexibility and savings.<br />https://twitter.com/GovWalker/status/564175720956854272<br /><br />On its face, that sounds kinda reasonable. A $150M/yr cut out of an annual UW System budget of $6B = 2.5%. And one would think your average $6B business could find 2.5% in savings somewhere.<br /><br />However, the UW System is not funded like a business. The vast majority of its funding comes with statutory or contractual strings attached. Per the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, in 2014-15, the UW Board of Regents only had discretion over $2.2B of its budget.<br />http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/publications/Informational-Papers/Documents/2015/32_UW%20Overview.pdf (see pg. 25)<br /><br />So, in practice, Walker's $150M cut is more like a 7% cut. You can't just make that up by finding a better deal on office supplies.<br /><br />As for that "flexibility," it won't really kick in until 2017, and it will hardly do anything to expand the Regents' effective discretionary budget, other than giving them the ability to raise tuition without legislative oversight. Strings attached to federal, corporate, and gift money will remain. <br /><br />The major "string" currently attached to state funding is the requirement to spend $250M/yr on debt service. And it turns out that once that string is removed in 2017-18, state funding will drop from $1B down to a $753M block grant. Amazing how that works out.lufthasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10874075983022034896noreply@blogger.com