Corbett's Cuts to Pennsylvania Universities are Actually WORSE than 50%

[JPZenger]

The media has been saying Corbett plans to cut State funding to public universities by 50%. If you read the budget, it is actually worse.

State-owned universities would go down 54%, including the complete elimination of programs designed to attract disadvantaged and minority students

Temple would go down 53%

U. Pittsburgh would go down 52%

Penn State would go down 51%, in addition to losing large amounts of additional funds related to its health care and agricultural programs

The new Medical College of Northeastern PA. would loose all of their state appropriation.

Community Colleges, which are overcrowded serving many of the lower income students, and which provide a great deal of practical vocational education, would suffer a 10% cut.

Meanwhile, the State would continue to provide direct funding to many rich private universities. These grants are based upon the number of PA. residents they enroll who are eligible for separate state grants. Those direct state funds would not have to be spent on PA. residents.

Among public K-12 schools, in addition to the well-advertised cuts, Corbett would eliminate $5 million of funding for Intermediate Units, $259 million in School Accountability Grants, and $224 million to reimburse them for the revenues they lose to Charter Schools (which they almost always are forced to approve).