Albany Watch

   As the economy continues its downward spiral, more students are seeking opportunities for post-secondary education. But New York State isn’t providing the funds needed to help the State University of New York and City University of New York to adjust to the increasing number of students, according to a report released today by the Fiscal Policy Institute.

   Even before the mid-year budget cuts, state aid to SUNY’s four-year colleges and graduate schools fell by 5 percent per student since the early 1990s, the report said. State support was down 14 percent at CUNY during the same period. Community colleges fared the worst, with funding down 12 percent at SUNY community colleges and 26 percent at CUNY, the institute found.

   “Next year’s classes at SUNY and CUNY are expected to be larger than ever,” said David Dyssegaard Kallick, senior fellow at the Fiscal Policy Institute. “Yet, rather than expand funding to an already overstressed system, the state budget proposal recommends a decrease in support for public higher education. That’s not a smart economic strategy, and it’s not good stewardship of two of the country’s great systems of public higher education.”

   James Parrott, deputy director of the institute, said an important way to maintain a productive economy in a downturn and prepare for a growing middle class when the it recovers is for workers to upgrade their education and skills.

   To see the report, visit www.fiscalpolicy.org.