OKLAHOMA CITY
Students at Oklahoma
colleges and universities are having to dig deeper into their pockets to pay
ever-increasing tuition costs although state officials say public funding of
higher education is at an all-time high.
Spending on higher education has tripled during the past 12
years, rising from a $500 million budget in 1996 to almost $1.5 million for the
fiscal year that began July 1, said House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah. The
total includes a $500 million higher education bond package approved in 2005.
But higher education officials say it is unfair to include
bond money, which pays for new buildings and renovations to others, when
examining tuition and operating costs.
While funding has increased, the percentage of higher
education’s total budget coming from the Legislature is down to about 50
percent of costs, with tuition, fees and other areas making up the rest. In the
1980s, the state covered about 75 percent of higher education expenses,
officials said.
Cargill said more needs to be done within higher education
and other agencies to find efficiencies and learn how to work within the amount
of money they are given instead of constantly seeking supplemental
appropriations each year.
“On the heels of gigantic financial investments, it is
very concerning and I have a hard time following some of the increases in
tuition,” Cargill said. “The regents need to stop trying to be the
super Legislature and micromanaging legislative decisions and spend more time
trying to find efficiencies in their system.”
