$69.2m put back into higher education

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

he House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to restore $69.2 million in funding to public higher education, including nearly $14.3 million to the University system's maintenance appropriation.

     The additional funding reduces the size of the cut facing the University next year to about $11.5 million or 2.5 percent from this year's allocation of $460.6 million. The House Ways and Means Committee originally proposed a reduction of $5.6 percent or $25.8 million.

     The vote came after three representatives, Joseph C. Sullivan (D-Braintree), Ellen Story (D-Amherst) and Eric Turkington (D-Falmouth) introduced amendments to restore between $37 million and $29 million to the University appropriation.

      Sullivan also sponsored an amendment to restore $10 million for the University endowment incentive program, which provides matching funds for professorships. The House approved $2 million for the program.

     Legislators also backed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Carol Donovan (D-Woburn), to restore $85,750 to the line item for Commonwealth College, essentially level-funding the honors program at its current budget of $1.175 million.

     The lawmakers also restored more than $284,000 for UMass Dartmouth's Advanced Technology Center in Fall River.

     In related action, the House boosted funding for the state scholarship program by the $15 million to $90.9 million, or 2.3 percent below current spending.

     Representatives also restored $2.4 million for the Education and Reference Materials reserve, which provides funding to libraries in the public higher education system. That amount is less than half of the current appropriation. The Ways and Means Committee included no money for the ERM.

     The House also restored some funding for the state and community college systems. The nine state colleges now face an overall cut of 3.4 percent or $7.2 million, while the 15 community colleges face a loss of $6.4 million or 2.7 percent.

     The House also approved maintaining state employee health insurance contributions at 15 percent of the premiums.

     The budget debate was expected to conclude Wednesday night.