States Push Even Further to Cut Spending on Colleges

State Lawmakers Look to a Future of Frugal Spending on Higher Education 1

David Tulis, AP Images

Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia

By Eric Kelderman

For nearly four years, governors and state legislators have focused on little else in higher education but cutting budgets to deal with historic gaps in revenue. Now, with higher-education support at a 25-year low, lawmakers are considering some policy changes that have been off-limits in the past, such as consolidating campuses and eliminating governing boards.

Such proposals reflect the reality that, in most states, money for higher education will be constrained for the foreseeable