| INFORMATION ALERT | |
| State Rep. Michelle Brownlee |
Higher education getting higher out of reach
Residents of the 195th District know how important a university can be to the community: we're home to the two highly esteemed universities of Penn and Drexel.
Unfortunately, Gov. Corbett is proposing to reduce funding for the state-related universities by $147 million.
Temple University is taking one of the hardest hits, with a 30 percent cut, while Lincoln University is funded at the same level as last year. If this budget is enacted, over two years, Gov. Corbett will have cut funding for Temple 43 percent and Lincoln 19 percent.
The 14 universities of the State System of Higher Education are also facing a 20 percent cut, and state funding for PHEAA programs is cut by $27.2 million.
What does all this mean for students and parents? Tuition rates will likely rise again and put higher education farther out of reach for students. But the economic development, growth and pride these schools generate within our communities also cannot be underestimated.
These cuts are extremely foolish when we are at such a critical time in our economy and I will fight hard to restore funding for our Commonwealth's universities.