Rally aims to eliminate state budget cap

Written by Andrew Bisset
(abisset1@mscd.edu)

Bill would aid higher education in Colorado

Metro’s Student Government Assembly will team up with student governments from around Colorado on March 9 to lead students on a march to the Capitol from the Tivoli Commons in support of funding for higher education.

It is a mission that Metro’s SGA takes seriously.

“Their future is at stake,” said SGA Senator Amanda Splitt. “This is something that is going to affect us as students. The budget crisis at the state level will hit higher education as a whole and Metro will be seeing a very substantial cut.”

And not just Auraria students are expected to attend — the event is being organized by the Associated Students of Colorado, which includes student governments from around the state, including the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University.

The march comes on the ASC yearly lobby day, when the ASC asks lawmakers to consider the impact of their bills on higher education.

“The budget crisis at the state level will hit higher education as a whole and Metro will be seeing a very substantial cut.” Splitt said.

Nearly $3 million was cut from Metro’s budget this year with another $5 million expected next year.

On Feb. 16, President Stephen Jordan outlined a plan to cope with Metro’s shrinking budget that included belt tightening around the college but did not make any mention of layoffs or furloughs for faculty and staff.

Current legislation is as pertinent as ever to Colorado college students. Senate Bill 228, which passed through the Senate Finance Committee last week, would repeal the Arveschoung-Bird law, whose focal point was a 6 percent spending cap on state funds.

Currently, the state’s general fund budget, from which Metro derives its funding, can only grow up to 6 percent from the previous year.

Since there is no cap on the budget cuts now being made, this budget ceiling would prevent higher education funding from recovering quickly when Colorado’s economy turns around.
“If this bill is not passed, it is likely that Colorado will be stuck in a permanent recession for the foreseeable future,” SGA President Andrew Bateman said.

It is this sense of urgency that spurred the organization of a student march to the Capitol. Splitt said the march could show lawmakers that average students care about higher education funding, and that students are concerned about how the budget crisis facing the state will affect them.

Last year’s Lobby Day saw 50 students push for the passing of Gov. Bill Ritter’s budget, which included a $65 million increase in funding for higher education. This year’s march will gather at the Tivoli Commons at 11:15 a.m. and will march to the Capitol at 11:30a.m.

Senate Bill 228

Would eliminate a spending cap that restricts annual spending increases to 6 percent for areas including higher education, criminal justice, schools, corrections and health care.

• Initially approved by the Senate March
2 after a 10-hour debate.

• Must be approved a second time by
the Senate.

• Sponsored by Sen. John Morse,
D-Colorado Springs

• Co-sponsored by Rep. Don Marostica,
R-Loveland