Louisiana to Ask for Federal Waiver for Higher Education Cuts
By: RNS
Updated: January 20, 2010
(Baton Rouge) -- The Jindal administration is about to ask the federal government for a waiver that would allow the state to make further funding cuts to higher education without having to repay federal stimulus dollars being used to plug state college funding deficits.
Federal stimulus guidelines do not allow states using stimulus dollars for higher education to cut budgets below 2006 levels.
Prior to this months $84 Million higher ed budget cuts, the state was only $24 Million above 2006 college funding levels.
The 84-million is part of the $247 Million dollars in cuts being made to the overall state government budget for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Commissioner of Administration, Angele Davis, says shes confident the waiver will be approved.
