PHOENIX ÷ Republican lawmakers responded to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano's budget proposal yesterday with a plan that would give no new money to Arizona's state universities.
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee's budget was a far cry from the university-friendly budget proposal Napolitano released last week. That proposal called for an $8 million funding boost at the UA to keep valuable professors and help with enrollment growth, and $46 million in overall increased funding for the state's universities.
The predominantly Republican budget committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Legislature regarding all facets of the state budget, and the outline it released today is widely considered a GOP response to the governor's budget.
Although the JLBC budget outline does not include any additional university funding or the $21.9 million Napolitano pledged to set aside for university employee payraises, committee members said that it is too soon to say whether universities will receive any additional funding as the budget makes its way through the Legislature.
"This is just a blueprint," said Senate President Ken Bennett, R- Prescott. "We are not zeroing anything out. We are just starting at ground zero."
President Peter Likins was at the state capital Monday, meeting with Bennett and discussing the UA's request for additional funding.
"I don't see this as a normal recommendation," said Greg Fahey, UA associate vice president for government relations.
Fahey said Bennett assured Likins in the meeting that the Legislature would try and meet some of the universities' funding requests.
Fahey said he remains confident that Republicans will find room in the budget to increase funds to help UA's priority issues of faculty retention and enrollment growth despite the rows of zeros that fill the JLBC budget's increased university spending column.
"Right now we are at the same place as we were last year. · I am hopeful that we can work together toward something that is reflective of the university's needs," Fahey said.
Bennett and committee member Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, said that the Legislature will still try to find money for university needs and raises for state employees, but they cautioned that the $300 million budget shortfall will make that difficult.
"There is not a lot of squish room in the budget, but is there enough for $13 million for universities? It's possible," Farnsworth said.
Bennett said universities would be some of the only agencies that might expect to see additional funding, but said it is too soon to say for sure how much if any the UA can expect to receive.
"There are going to be some changes," Bennett said, "but we still have a structural deficit. We can't fool ourselves any longer."