Last week, hundreds of people filled the halls of the State House to oppose cuts to social services proposed by Gov. Baldacci in his budget. While these cuts will impact thousands of Mainers, I also want to call attention to the funding reductions proposed that will have a long-term impact on our state’s economic future.

At a time when enrollment is steadily increasing, Baldacci has suggested reducing funding to the university system by more than $7 million, and cutting another $2 million from our already overburdened and underfunded community colleges. Maine Maritime Academy, which is gaining prestige as a marine research facility, could lose as much as $300,000 in funding.

If the cuts are accepted as proposed, students in our university system could see a 15 percent tuition increase, or the elimination of up to 250 staff positions. The funding issue is just as grim for students at the community colleges. More than 12 academic programs could be halted and 40 faculty and staff laid off. This means that the community colleges wouldn’t be able to admit nearly 450 new students next year.

Cuts to higher education are counterintuitive to growing our state’s economy for the long-term. We cannot expect to build a highly-skilled workforce if our population isn’t educated, and those are the jobs of the future. Two of my own children have earned their degrees through the University of Maine and Southern Maine Community College, and I know from their experiences that it is imperative that we keep education affordable and accessible to all of Maine’s students.

None of the cuts proposed by Baldacci are victimless, and I plan to monitor the work of the Appropriations Committee closely in the coming weeks to see what I can do to minimize the impact on state services and education. As always, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the budget negotiations. Please feel free to call me at home at 892-6591, or e-mail me at RepMarkBryant@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,

Rep. Mark Bryant

Maine House District 110