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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 8, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 8, 2005 RCC-SOU center out of state budget Democrats and Republicans debate education funding, but neither includes Medford plan By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — When budget negotiations between the state House and Senate collapsed Monday, the dispute ruptured the Joint Ways and Means Committee. Starting fresh on Monday, the House and Senate will go their separate ways in crafting a budget for the coming biennium, working from the framework laid down by Ways and Means before it was dismantled over the level of state support for schools. The House and Senate are about $125 million apart on the $5 billion-plus appropriation to schools. Each chamber has set different priorities in several other areas, which has led to some confusion over who is proposing what. Take spending for community colleges, which receive about one-third of their support from the state. After reviewing the two proposals, Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, had to call in a colleague to help decipher the recommendations. The conclusion, according to Richardson and Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, is that House budget chief Wayne Scott, a Canby Republican, wants $440 million — the amount the community colleges have been pushing for. Advertisement However, his Senate counterpart, Democrat Kurt Schrader, also of Canby, wants to appropriate $426 million — $14 million less. What is clear in the competing spending documents is the lack of money for a proposed education center to be shared by Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community College in downtown Medford. Neither included any money to help SOU finance its share of the proposed $23.3 million project. That leaves the Ashland institution with the daunting task of coming up with some $5.4 million to finance its share of the project. RCC will have enough if the state agrees to match a local property tax bond with education bonds. SOU can also use state bonding authority, up to $5.9 million but must come up with another $5.4 million to get the project up and running. "It’s not a done deal yet," Richardson said of the shortfall, adding the Southern Oregon delegation is solidly united in an effort to find more money to cover SOU’s obligation. He said, however, that funding for capital construction projects this session is a "hard sell." Rep. George Gilman, R-Medford, predicted there would have to be a large local contribution, up to $4 million, in order to leverage state support. "We’re still working hard to find the money," Gilman said. "But I don’t hold out much hope unless we can raise a significant amount at the local level." Schrader said the $426 million he is recommending for community college operating costs allows them to forestall tuition hikes and not cut programs. "The $440 million (proposed by the House) is not necessary to keep them whole," he said. At $440 million, according to President Peter Angstadt, Rogue would be able to increase enrollment and add course offerings. Reduced funding for the 17 community colleges has resulted in huge tuition increases and an enrollment drop from 400,000 students in 2001 to 330,000 today, according to the Department of Education’s community college and work force development division. Don Jepsen is a free-lance writer living in Salem. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s