re: [Serious] What is LSU going to do to get out of their financial situation?

So here's a look at three options state lawmakers are considering, and how likely they are to pass:

1. Making it easier to impose new student fees (Jindal supports)

The Louisiana House Education Committee passed two pieces of legislation that would make it easier to raise fees on students -- both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Given the governor's support, these proposals stand a better chance of passing than others being considered.

The first bill, introduced by Broadwater, would give power to each institution's management board to increase and set new fees, so long as they don't exceed a national average for fees imposed at similar institutions. The second proposal (HB 168) would do the same, except at the graduate and professional school level. No one on the House Education Committee voted against either measure.

Currently, the Legislature has to sign off on new student fees, meaning, in effect, they don't often get raised. State lawmakers have been reluctant to raise student costs, which are unpopular with voters. It's thought that a college or university board might be more willing to hike a fee.

2. Changes to the TOPS scholarship (Jindal opposes)

The House and Senate education committees also passed measures that could limit TOPS, Louisiana's popular scholarship program. Jindal has already said he would veto these bills, making it unlikely either will survive.

"We oppose any and all efforts to cap TOPS," Jindal since in an interview with the media Thursday (April 23). "I think it would be a mistake to break that promise to the families of Louisiana."

"I continue to believe this is a very good program for the people of Louisiana. I think, under TOPS, high school students are taking more rigorous courses, more likely -- not only to graduate -- but to stay in Louisiana and continue their education in Louisiana."

Still, HB 66, limiting TOPS and allowing university boards to more easily raise tuition, cleared the House Education Committee. A separate bill (SB 48) that would let a university raise tuition -- without the hike automatically being covered by TOPS -- also passed out of the Senate Education Committee.

The authors of both bills said they were bringing the proposals because the cost of TOPS was escalating at such a high rate, it wasn't clear the state would be able to afford the program in future years. TOPS was expected to cost the state over $250 million this year and around $300 million by 2018-2019.

When asked whether TOPS might become too expensive for the state, Jindal said his administration had been able to fully fund the scholarship program every year he had been in office. It should continue to be a state budget priority.

"We've made it a priority every year. We've fully funded it every year that we have been here," Jindal said, "I think it would be wrong to break that commitment to the students of Louisiana and to their families."

3. Making it easier to raise tuition (Jindal supports, mostly)

The Legislature's education committees also each passed a bill that would allow tuition to be raised more easily. But both pieces of legislation have problems politically, and it doesn't seem likely they will make it very far in the legislative process at this point.

The bills seek to give college and university boards the power to set tuition for their programs. Currently the Legislature must sign off on tuition changes. Lawmakers have been reluctant to increase tuition, because the move is politically unpopular. It's thought higher institutions' own management boards would be more likely to install a tuition hike if needed.

Jindal supports tuition flexibility in theory, though he has a problem with one of the pieces of legislation (HB 66). The bill would also put limitations on TOPS, which the governor won't support.

"As long as that stays in the bill, we are opposed to the entire bill because of that provision," he said.


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