Rendell’s Education Funding Plan Rejected

The Department of Education announced today that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell will have to resubmit a federal stimulus funds request for Pennsylvania higher education schools, and will not be able to leave the four state-related schools (Penn State included) out of the $42 million that Rendell requested.

This announcement comes on the heels of numerous protests to the Department of Education from 14 of the state’s 19 U.S. Representatives.

Early last night, Representative Glenn Thompson (R- Centre County) received a phone call from the Department of Education saying that Gov. Rendell will have to reapply. Thompson told the Philadelphia Inquirer,

“Frankly, the governor doesn’t have the power to make up rules when it comes to these initiatives.”

The Department of Education rejecting Rendell’s plan could have major repercussions regarding Penn State’s proposed tuition hike. Penn State’s Board of Trustees voted to approve two separate budget plans, one with a relatively average 4.8% tuition increase, the other with an unprecedented 9.8% tuition increase. Which budget will go into effect is dependent upon whether or not Penn State receives federal stimulus money, and how much at that. This will be something to watch over the next month.

[Philadelphia Inquirer]

[Image Source]

Meh

thanks so much for these updates, i don’t know if i would have convenient access to this important information any other way…
http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1477950266&ref=profile Lee

For all of ours sake, this is good news. If rendell wasn’t a huge philly sports fan, he’d have no redeeming qualities in my book at this point
http://russwbeck.wordpress.com Russ B

As a Republican Pittsburgh fan attending PSU, this rejection really pleases me.
Mark

“This will be something to watch over the next month.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that the PSU BOT needs to make that decision by July 17th, so this is more something to watch over the next 24 hours:

http://live.psu.edu/story/40511 – “University officials hope that Penn State’s appropriation level will be known by July 17, the date that the University must finally set its fall tuition.”
Dj Ryan

Thank God. Its nice to see that the Department of Education is willing to do the legal and right thing.

I’ve heard there’s a chance final tuition could be put on hold until next Monday or Tuesday…
Nancy Koebel

I graduated from PSU in 1976. These shenanigans over the division between the state-related and state-controlled schools is nothing new. The same funding issues were an annual rite of passage back then too. Perhaps if the citizens of Pennsylvania (I live in Ohio) would elect a governor who was a Penn State grad this would finally end.