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Saving Hundreds of Millions of Dollars |
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JACKSONVILLE -- April 20, 2001 --
The Siegelman bond issue proposal is "More of the Same" from the Alabama
Education Association
and the Siegelman Administration. They are pretending to help the
universities, but they are actually closing the doors of opportunity for
hundreds of thousands of Alabama's children. The universities will SAVE
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUTURE YEARS by saying NO to the
second-class citizens status that was proposed in the short-term $100
million, bad-policy bond issue for operations. Future generations of college
students will be proud of our universities for not forfeiting their
opportunities. It is time for leaders to stand on principle and not call for short-term solutions that mortgage the future of the state. Basing a bad policy proposal on a debatable opinion from the Attorney General, when the Supreme Court has put a Stay Order on the 12 percent (higher education) to 3.5 percent (K-12) cuts, is to show a lack of support for the faculty, staff and students of the universities. The people of the state need to understand the facts. The AEA-Siegelman Administration bond issue was tied to the acceptance of disproportionate proration. To accept this proposal would mean accepting three-to-one cuts in future years. Universities cannot accept these deeper cuts. While the administration is refusing to discuss the damage this disproportionate proration causes, the future pain CANNOT be ignored. This pain would be devastating to the faculty, staff and students of the universities. It is for these reasons that the Higher Education Partnership is calling on all of its members and other university friends to contact Attorney General Bill Pryor (334-242-7300 phone and 334-242-7458 fax) and Governor Don Siegelman (334-242-7100 phone and 334-242-4541 fax). Ask them to support across the board cuts and equal treatment when it comes to proration. The bottom-line is this proposal was turned down because the Siegelman Administration refuses to apply proration equally. The administration refuses to negotiate on the difference in cuts, which has a long-term negative impact. Equal treatment in proration is the only way to help the students, faculty, staff and long-term futures of Alabama's universities. |
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