ATLANTA — A few hundred college students rallied on the steps of the Georgia Capitol on Monday to protest budget cuts they say could make college too expensive at a time when education is needed with a shrinking pool of jobs.
“Education is the last thing that should be cut,” Will Avery, a graduate student at the University of West Georgia, said.
Students suggested increasing the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1-per-pack or boosting taxes on the state’s richest residents. Both options are unlikely in the GOP-led state Legislature, where many leaders have pledged to balance the state’s budget without raising taxes.
Georgia’s budget is staggering from 15 months of declining revenues. Gov. Sonny Perdue last week was forced to make a new round of cuts to keep the state out of the red.
The state’s 35 colleges and universities had already been facing about $265 million in cuts for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Perdue has proposed moving $113 million in federal stimulus dollars forward into the current fiscal year, meaning colleges are facing another $113 million hole for the next fiscal year.
The cuts to the universities will also be offset some by $124 million in formula funding to deal with student enrollment growth.
Students argued that with the economy sputtering, education is more vital than ever.
“This is our future,” said Ryan Jones, a student at Georgia Southern University.
“If we can’t afford to go to college, where is the next generation of leaders, where are they going to come from?”
Other students suggested that lawmakers who OK steep cuts to higher education will feel the wrath of voters at the ballot box.
State legislators are set to take up the revised budget proposal this week and could make substantial changes to Perdue’s proposal.
Ultimately the Board of Regents will decide whether tuition hikes, layoffs or furloughs are needed to meet the budget figure set by lawmakers.
John Millsaps, a spokesman for the university system, said the Board of Regents would meet after lawmakers wrap up their session — likely sometime in April — to determine what to do.
Local News
Ga. college students protest education cuts
- Local News
-
-
Tropical storm brings much needed rain to drought-stricken region
Lowndes County is in for a soaking today as Tropical Storm Beryl passes through the area, according to the National Weather Service.
-
Wild Adventures unveils revamped animal show
A Chilean Rose tarantula, an albino Burmese python and American alligators headline Wild Adventures’ revamped “Creature Feature Extreme” show, as the exhibit kicked off its summer schedule last week in a newly constructed amphitheater.
Previously titled “Creature Feature,” the new variant of the show features some of the most popular animals from the previous exhibit. -
Pausing to honor those who gave all
Two Memorial Day ceremonies will be held at Sunset Hill Cemetery Monday to honor the fallen veterans of our country’s past and current wars.
-
Fallen hero memorialized
Amid cries of jubilation from the mother of a fallen local veteran, a new memorial was unveiled Saturday afternoon, at the intersection of North Valdosta Road and Inner Perimeter, in honor of the late Petty Officer First Class Joseph Adam McSween.
-
VHS Class of 2012 graduates
Valdosta High School’s Class of 2012 gathered Friday night at the Valdosta State University PE Complex to celebrate the graduation of roughly 350 seniors.
-
Qualifying ends
Citizens engaged in their local political landscape will have plenty of options this July and November as dozens of candidates qualified on Friday.
-
Resident escapes from blaze
A citizen escaped an aggressive fire with only minor cuts and bruises Friday afternoon, as wind amplified the flames from the blaze that started inside of his St. Augustine Road residence.
-
Weekend preview with Brittany McClure
Find out what's going on this weekend with Brittany McClure.
-
Popular vendor taken out of the ballparks
With a wagon-load of fresh cakes, hot boiled peanuts and ice-cold bottled water she has witnessed generations of children, or as she refers to them, her angels, grow into adults with children of their own.
-
Three candidates file for election
Qualifications for Lowndes County general primaries continue with the addition of a couple new candidates interested in running for elected office.
- More Local News Headlines
-
