Doyle Restores Cuts in UW System

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Updated: 12:27 PM Jul 21, 2005

Doyle Restores Cuts in UW System

With the power of his veto pen, Gov. Jim Doyle promises to restore $35 million to University of Wisconsin schools. Those dollars were originally cut by the Legislature in order to pass the state budget, but how much will restoring that money help these already financially strapped schools?

Posted: 9:22 PM Jul 20, 2005
Reporter: Amanda Lutz

Doyle Restores Cuts in UW System

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UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Linda Bunnell says she's very relieved that Gov. Doyle will put $35 million for the UW System back into his budget.

But even with that money, UW-Stevens Point will still have to cut a few million dollars from its upcoming budget.

In Doyle's original budget, UWSP faced about $2.4 million in cuts over the next two years. Then the budget when through the Joint Finance Committee, and the school now needs to cut an additional $600,000.

But Bunnell says if the additional changes made by the Legislature would've gone through, that total would've been closer to $1 million.

So altogether, UWSP faces about $2.9 million in cuts.

"We were hoping that this veto might be made, and so we didn't want to get everyone upset until the budget is really signed," says Bunnell.

Bunnell says her number one goal is to keep as many classes available as possible. In addition, for right now, no faculty are in danger of being cut.

She also hopes to see the economy rebound so that lawmakers can avoid making more cuts to the UW System.

"I think even some of those legislators who did some of these things, I think they know the UW System is important. They're just in a really tough spot. Everybody's in a really tough spot," she says.

UWSP students will also see a 7 percent tuition increase next year, down from 18 percent in the last two years.

Next week, Bunnell and other faculty, administration, and students will start looking for where that additional $600,000 in cuts will come from.