State vows not to cut funding if tuition is frozen
Central Michigan University officials are still unsure how they will react to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's announcement to cancel state funding cuts to universities because of the recently signed stimulus package.
Granholm said Thursday that money from the federal stimulus plan should make up for any cut in per-pupil aid she's proposing for the next school year.
That move could be outlined in a supplemental budget bill Granholm expects to submit next month to the state Legislature.
"We will submit a supplemental that makes the schools whole," Granholm said at a press conference Thursday.
Stimulus money also could lessen the need for a proposed 3 percent budget cut for state universities. But Granholm still wants the schools to pledge to freeze tuition in exchange for avoiding a smaller appropriation.
Carol Haas, director of financial planning and budgets, said it is too early to tell whether or not CMU will be freezing tuition in the upcoming fall. She said many factors will still play a role, including enrollment numbers.
"That plays a major role in the final planning," she said. "I think that's how that will play out. We might not know until April."
Haas also said Michigan's current economic spiral will also play a factor with Granholm's proposal. With fewer people going to college than in the past, CMU cannot accurately predict what their enrollment numbers will be for the fall.
"It's a very uncertain enrollment right now (economically)," she said.
Associate Vice President for Administrative Services David Burdette also said he could not predict if CMU would freeze tuition.
"It's breaking news," he said, referring to Granholm's announcement. "It's February. It's got a ways to go."
Haas said the tuition decision partially depends on whether or not the Board of Trustees decide to wait for the state budget to be approved. In previous years, the Board has set tuition at its July meeting, but can decide to do it earlier or later, she said.
"The board has, at times, decided to wait," she said. "Different boards handle it differently."
The Board of Trustees also can wait until the state's budget has been finalized, something that may not happen until September.
Since CMU's fiscal year and the state's fiscal year are at different time periods, Haas said in past years, the Board has made the decision based on previous years' conditions.
"It will depend on what is happening in Lansing to determine what we do," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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