Louisiana
By Louisiana is a really well-run state:
Public college and university campuses in Louisiana could close if the state ends up cutting $300 million or more out of its higher education budget during the next fiscal cycle.
Legislators and higher education officials said its college systems would have to shut the doors of multiple institutions and campuses if the schools have to absorb a funding reduction of that size. Around 15 locations — including three in the University of Louisiana system and six in the community and technical college cohort — could be directly affected.
“The magnitude of cuts being discussed for higher education could mean between 40 to 60 percent reductions of base funding for institutions in a single year. I do feel that all of our universities are critically needed for their regional economies and, especially, to meet the demands for workforce,” said Sandra Woodley, president of the University of Louisiana system, when asked about the possibility of campuses shutting down.
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Higher education is also not the only thing keeping legislators up at night about the coming state budget reductions. Legislators said Jindal is supposedly looking to take some $250 million out of state health services in the next fiscal year.
Since the state uses some of that $250 million in health care money to get matching federal funding now, the total net loss to Louisiana’s health care budget would actually be much higher, somewhere around $1 billion, according to Senate President John Alario.
“That would be devastating to state health care,” he said.
Well surely Jindal will provide the necessary leadership to stop this, right?
Even if the state Senate got behind a plan to generate revenue, it would still have to be approved by the Louisiana House and Jindal. Jindal, who will likely be running for president later this year, has already told several people that he won’t consider hiking anything resembling a tax, which will make it difficult to raise revenue.
Of course. The 2016 Republican Primary is going to be such a joy.