Charleston Gazette-Mail – States like West Virginia need to invest more money into higher education — not cut it — to reverse the damage caused by years of funding cuts following the 2008 recession, a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released Thursday concludes. Read
The annual report, which analyzed nationwide budgets for higher education that have already been approved by state legislatures for the next financial year, came as lawmakers looked to the Higher Education Policy Commission for any signs public colleges in the state could further reduce their budgets.
“Our colleges and universities have gone really far to tighten their belts while still providing the education their students deserved and are paying for,” said Jessica Tice, a spokeswoman for HEPC.
One of the main points of the report is the possible, if not already present, lapse in the quality of the college experience as a result of faculty positions being cut. Tice doesn’t think that problem has touched West Virginia yet, but she fears the state is at a tipping point.
