Va. Governor Proposes Tuition Increase

Warner submitted amendments to the Virginia budget last week, advocating a tuition increase of up to 5 percent for in-state students and more than 5 percent for out-of-state and graduate students.

The plan presents schools with the option of raising tuition but calls for the majority of the money to be turned over to the state.

Officials at the University of Virginia expressed displeasure at the budget amendment.

Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget at UVa., said the university's officials "have a problem" with Warner's proposal. "He's calculated a percent and required for that money to be returned to the commonwealth."

The last tuition increase at UVa. occurred in 1995-96, after which the state legislature froze tuition in the state. But the new plan might force UVa. and other public institutions to raise tuition for next year.

"They're basically going to take the money anyway," Sheehy said, pointing out that Warner's amendment would not give universities a fair choice in deciding whether to raise tuition.

Sheehy added that the tuition freeze over the past few years has allowed peer institutions to catch up and surpass UVa. in costs. "We prefer that tuition policy be dealt with by the Board of Visitors," she said.

Warner's budget amendments address a $3.5 billion shortfall during the next 30-month period, which starts July 1, 2002, and covers the fiscal years 2003 and 2004.

Former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore proposed in his final budget last month to raise tuition by a flat $200 across the commonwealth.

Ellen Qualls, Warner's press secretary, said Gilmore's plan would have raised tuition by as much as 17 percent at lower-cost institutions. "Our plan is a bit more of a compromise," Qualls said. "We want to limit an increase to keep tuition reasonable and affordable."

Another part of the plan that is causing controversy across Virginia is a proposed salary freeze for state employees, including university faculty.

Some fear the salary freeze will hurt faculty recruitment and retention efforts and might cause the ranking of Virginia public colleges to drop.

"The philosophy of Governor Warner is to spread the level of sacrifice across all entities," Qualls said. "He is keeping a basic safety net for the frail, the elderly and the poor. In terms of priority, faculty salaries aren't there, but he's concerned with it."

It remained unclear if the Republican majority in the Virginia legislature would support Warner's proposals.

But Qualls said Warner met with leaders in Richmond, Va., and reached an agreement on the overall framework.

"None of the choices that my finance team presented me with was easy," Warner stated in a press release.

"I believe that we have succeeded as best we can in a difficult situation."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.