Budget hearings continued this week in Harrisburg, with the State System schools one of the focal points of those hearings.
Chancellor Dan Greenstein was on hand Wednesday to answer questions of the House Appropriations Committee. The system had requested an increase of 3.8% increase over the $552 million allocated in last year’s budget to make the state’s contribution $573 million. Only a 2% increase was listed in Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget, which would bring it to roughly $563 million. Greenstein said that the original request was an inflation adjustment to the base and $112 million in direct-to-student funding for students entering high-need programs like STEM, health care and teaching.
He said that the 2% increase would represent an increase of two-thirds of a percent in an inflation year, and that would cause the State System to revert to old solutions that he feels are undesirable.
Budget hearings will continue in the state house and senate through April 14th.
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