New Hampshire’s public universities made a pitch for restored funding to the budget writers in the New Hampshire State Senate Monday, but they got a lukewarm response.
University administrators are asking a Senate committee to craft a budget that would match the governor’s funding proposal. The University system’s interim Chancellor, Todd Leach, says the current level of funding won’t be enough to keep tuition frozen, but all state money will go to lower bill or increased financial aid. “We’re going to use whatever dollars we have specifically for in-state students,” he told senators Monday.
Over two-years Governor Hassan’s budget proposed restoring $35 million in funding to the university system, but the House’s budget reduced that number by $12 million.
The committee’s chair Senator Chuck Morse says while he hopes not to reduce that budget more, matching the Governor’s funding level would be a challenge.