MADISON — The Universities of Wisconsin announced financial prospectus for seven campuses, which indicates a grim outlook for public higher education throughout the state. Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), a member of the Senate Committee on Universities and Revenue, Joint Finance Committee, and representative of the flagship university, expressed strong criticism towards Republican politicians for the financial challenges faced by the universities.
“Today, President Jay Rothman announced that our campuses are ‘facing headwinds that are challenging (the Universities of Wisconsin) financially.’ Those ‘headwinds’ are manufactured by Republican politicians who have systematically slashed funding for public higher education, while escaping voter accountability because of their unconstitutional gerrymander,” stated Sen. Roys.
Sen. Roys continued, highlighting the impact of Republican policies on higher education: “Republican politicians are responsible for the devastating layoffs, tuition hikes, and closures that have resulted and will continue. GOP politicians have underfunded UW for decades, culminating in a massive $250 million cut in 2015. They even cut funding in the most recent budget despite the state’s $7 billion surplus.”
In a strongly worded statement, Sen. Roys emphasized, “Anyone who denies that Republican politicians are responsible for these ‘headwinds’ is delusional.”
The situation outlined by Sen. Roys underscores the ongoing tensions between Democrats and Republicans in Wisconsin regarding the financial support for public higher education.
