O'Bannon's budget stresses education

By Heather Mangold
City Editor

Purdue officials and local government leaders have mixed opinions about Governor Frank O'Bannon's newest budget proposal.

On Tuesday, O'Bannon presented his new version of the state's fiscal budget to the Indiana General Assembly. Within the new proposal, education and higher education take priority. Specifically for higher education, a total operation appropriation increase of 4 percent would be implemented. Higher education technology would receive $25 million in Indiana and Purdue's nanotechnology project would receive start-up funding. The effects that O'Bannon's proposal would have on Purdue have not yet been released.

Even though Sen. Ron Alting, R-22nd, is an advocate of education, he said that he was not pleased with the proposal.

"We were looking at being $3 billion short in December and that has not changed," said Alting. "Where has he (O'Bannon) been?"

State revenue forecasts in Dec. predicted that Indiana's revenue for the upcoming biennium, from 2001 to 2003, would be detrimental for Hoosiers.

Alting said that if O'Bannon had released a budget that would have been advantageous for Indiana education from the start, the current situation would be different.

"We probably wouldn't be in the situation that we are in, in terms of the House and Senate budget, if he would have originally come out with these numbers," said Alting. "These are not real strong signs of leadership."

There are three versions of the budget that will be considered by government committees; the Senate's version, the House's version and the version presented by O'Bannon earlier this week.

Terry Strueh, vice president of state relations at Purdue, said that deciphering between the three versions and coming to an agreement for one final product will be a difficult challenge. Committees formed by members of both the House and Senate have until April 29 to review all three versions and decide upon one that would be best for Indiana.

Strueh said that Alting has a valid perspective, but the whole process of determining the state's fiscal budget is a matter of choices that all those involved make in terms of their tactics.

"I’m sure that the governor would argue that he didn't know what the revenue forecast was," said Strueh.

Revenue forecasts released on April 12 suggested that Indiana revenues would be $923 million less than the previously projected numbers released in Dec.

Strueh said, while Alting provides sufficient input for the new budget, Purdue officials are pleased with O'Bannon's new proposal in that it gives higher education a chance.

Jischke

In a news release, President Martin Jischke said that he was supportive of O'Bannon's efforts to find additional revenue support for Indiana.

"The governor has made a very important statement," said Jischke in the release. "He has told the people of Indiana that we must give our K through 12 schools and our colleges and universities the highest priority, even in a very difficult budget year."

Jischke said the future is what Hoosiers should be concerned with.

"If we were to lose the momentum we have gained, we would put our future, and the future of our young people, in jeopardy," he said.

Strueh said that anyone interested in supporting this budget proposal should contact their local legislator and voice his opinion to the government.

"I hope that all of our state's leaders will work together to find the resources to make this important progress possible," said Jischke in the release.

Alting said that he would continue to fight for funding for education and higher education.

O'Bannon's budget stresses education

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City editor:
Heather Mangold

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