Four of our five living ex-governors got together the other day to express dismay over our present governor’s intention to cut spending on higher education. And, of course, our present governor, faced with such a formidable force questioning his plan, backed off somewhat.
Gov. Bobby Jindal had planned to cut 15 percent from the annual allotment to higher education in next year’s budget. But faced with the opposition of ex-Govs. Dave Treen, Buddy Roemer, Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco, he quickly relented and dropped that figure down to about 10 percent. Only ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards was absent, serving the remainder of his term in prison. But undoubtedly, he would have had an interesting outlook on the problem, as he always had on other problems.
But Jindal is still promising to make a determined effort to cut spending that is unnecessary on all state programs, including education. And that is the right way to go.
When a business has budgetary problems, it cuts expenses. Government should do the same.
Higher education is not so sacred that we should not consider cost-savings options such as combining the programs of schools that duplicate their services in the same locality, such as Southern University in New Orleans and University of New Orleans. And why increase public two-year colleges to four-year colleges such as was done recently in Alexandria when there is another public four-year college not far away in Natchitoches?
It seems that an increase in vocational schools where students can go to class close to home while working would benefit industry and the working world more than having graduate schools nearby.
The claim by some of the ex-governors that cutting the spending on higher education will be a death blow to attracting new industry is not necessarily so. Some of the spending is unnecessary and should be cut.
But the governor is trying to keep peace with the former chief executives and perhaps that is the right way to go. We hope, however, that he doesn’t let his watchful eye on those unnecessary expenses go lapse.
Be the first to comment