Regents Weigh Impact of Additional Cuts

Oh, regents, one more order of cuts.

That -- in summary -- was the legislative mandate members of the Utah Board of Regents wrestled with in an hour-long conference call Monday.

Charged with recommending how a proposed additional budget cut of 2 percent -- or $11.4 million -- should be allocated if passed, the board reluctantly approved a 2.06 percent cutback for all institutions except Utah State University and the University of Utah. Both research universities will get away with a reduction of about 1.9 percent.

The difference -- $200,000 for USU and $300,000 for the U of U -- will be targeted at university missions "that directly impact the state's economic development," according to a news release.

Numbers contained in the state's revenue report, released over the weekend, show a $42 million increase in revenue for the current budget year, according to Associated Students of USU President Celestial Bybee.

"We're hoping, now, that they won't need to make cuts. But I have to use the word hope because things change like the weather at the Legislature," Bybee said.

If the additional cut is implemented, the total cut absorbed by higher education will be in excess of 7 percent. That figure jumps to a stunning 13.75 percent if the cost of new students who have entered the system without state funding is included. All in all, higher education has sustained an actual cut of about $71.5 million, or nearly 12 percent thus far.

And that's plenty, regents say. Further cuts would be difficult to deal with.

"This issue of an additional cut is getting to the point of being ridiculous," Regent Charles Johnson said. "We need to resist these cuts. We need to spend time with the governor and the executive [appropriations] committee and get our allies together."

One of those allies is the so-called "Fraser Bullock group," headed by Salt Lake Organizing Committee Chief Operating Officer Fraser Bullock, who is promoting an emphasis on research institutions as a way to help workforce development.

But lawmakers in the Bullock group are among a scarce few who seem to understand the regents' point of view. Legislators and board members don't see eye to eye on the most basic of issues -- whether or not there is still fat left to trim.

"The Legislature is telling us we'd better not cut out students. They say, 'cut waste.' Well, waste is in the eyes of the beholder," Chairman Nolan Karras pointed out. "I'm ready to dig in my heels a little bit and say we've tried to cooperate, but with this additional 2 percent, we're starting to come unraveled."

"We need more time," Regent David Grant said. "We can't make a recommendation so soon."

"Some in the Legislature say they, with their fiscal analysts, should tell schools where the cuts are. We have to make a recommendation," one regent pointed out.

"I think if we give them something other than an across-the-board cut -- if we say, cut here and here -- we empower the cuts psychologically," Regent David Jordan explained. "The Legislature believes there is fat and waste in the system. They're thinking that if they squeeze us just this hard, we will identify the fat. We should tell them it's all muscle and bone at this point."

"This 2 percent is just a skirmish in a great big war," regents concluded.