Fund the Full Promise of $10 million to the Vermont State University
Chair Diane Lanpher, Chair Jane Kitchel, and Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees
**Note: This petition is no longer active. The letter was submitted on 2/20/24. Thank you!**
Sponsored by
To:
Chair Diane Lanpher, Chair Jane Kitchel, and Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned, strongly encourage you to support the budget request for Fiscal Year 2025 of the Vermont State Colleges System and Chancellor Elizabeth Mauch.
Governor Scott’s Budget includes millions less than he had previously committed, and does not meet the needs of public higher education in our state. Below are just a few of the reasons why you should do everything you can to keep public higher education in Vermont and support the Vermont State Colleges adequately:
+ Vermont public higher education is an equity issue. Too many working Vermonters do not complete college degrees because our tuition is too high;
+ The Vermont State Colleges have experienced debilitating attrition of vacant positions and drastic lay-offs of many of our most dedicated and essential student-facing faculty and staff.
+ Less funds = more cuts = instability and uncertainty = less students = more working Vermonters without a public higher education option;
+ The communities where our Vermont State University campuses reside depend on institutional security for their economic health;
+ And, the Vermont State Colleges cannot plan for a sustainable and vibrant institution with a budget that is less than what is needed for our current enrollment. If we want to continue to provide public higher education, that will change the lives of our citizens and lead them to successful and financially sound futures, the State of Vermont must be our partner.
We are advocating for:
+ An increase in the base appropriation from the General Fund to the requested $52,800,000.
+ An increase in the one-time bridge funding from the $5,000,000 that the governor has proposed to the $10,000,000 that our plan to address our structural deficit requires.
+ One-time funding to support Community College of Vermont’s Vermont Tuition Advantage Program to the full requested amount of $5,000,000.
+ The adjustment to the Global Commitment funding, included in the Governor’s proposed budget for FY25.
The undersigned advocates for the Vermont State Colleges System and the people of Vermont.