More on screw the students, and taxpayers too :(

A few days ago, I blogged about the fiscal mismanagement at my own university, and further worried that we are not any exception but that similar stories abound at many, many public colleges and universities.

The good news is that the agenda for a university-wide meeting lists similar issues:

Last year’s strong ending financial position will be significantly deteriorated by deficits in both years of the current biennium. The principal reasons are a 25% decrease in state appropriations compared to the last two biennia, significantly higher salary and benefit costs due to negotiated salary increases and PERS rate increases, and a flattening of enrollment increases. Future risks include further declines and reductions in the state’s revenue forecast and uncertainty of future enrollment numbers. Clearly, now is the time to continue our efforts for being in a much weaker fiscal position for the beginning of the 2013-2015 biennium.

That is the good news--that these issues will be discussed.

The bad news: how come the financial picture was overlooked when those higher salaries and benefits were re-negotiated?  And it should have been obvious even then that the state allocation would decrease, and that the economy was nowhere near any rebound, right? 

"Clearly, now is the time" ... nope, clearly the time was back in early 2009. At least in late 2009. Or at least any time in 2010.  Why not even in mid-2011?  "Now is the time" is ... oh well :(

PS: there is no point going to the meeting.  The believers will recite the same narratives, and a subset of those believers will ask me to please shut up :)