University needs pocket protector

As the state senator representing Athens-Clarke County, what would you do to handle the increasingly tight University budget?

Many thanks to The Red & Black for allowing me to share my thoughts about what our state senator can do to help the University obtain the funding it needs.

For our entire community, there is perhaps no more important question. The answer comes in three parts - securing needed funding for higher education, protecting the HOPE Scholarship and providing effective leadership that helps accomplish both of these goals.

Several years ago, Georgia's economy went into a severe recession resulting in greatly reduced tax collections.

In response, the legislature was forced to make austerity cuts in all areas of the budget, including higher education.

Pay raises were put on hold and many positions were left vacant at the University. In 2004, during her campaign for state representative, my opponent made a campaign pledge to restore full funding to higher education.

Elected officials from both parties and University leaders fought hard and were successful in restoring full funding for the University system in the budget for fiscal year 2005, including $20 million in new funding for UGA plus $100 million in new funding for the University System.

Jane Kidd allowed partisanship to get in the way of good public policy, and voted against the final version of the 2005 budget. She put partisan politics before the interests of the University.

Fortunately, the budget passed anyway. The HOPE Scholarship is also a key source of funding for the University. This past session, the Governor offered House Resolution 1045, the HOPE Chest Amendment, to amend the state constitution to limit the expenditure of lottery proceeds to HOPE Scholarships and Pre-K programs only.

Originally, lottery funds were constitutionally dedicated to HOPE Scholarships, Pre-K programs, educational shortfall reserves and spending on capital outlay projects for education.

Of course, politicians abused the capital expenditure option and wasted more than a billion dollars of lottery funds on a variety of special projects. The Governor offered HR 1045 to stop this wasteful spending and preserve lottery funds for HOPE Scholarships and Pre-K programs.

This proposal followed the recommendation of the HOPE Scholarship Study Committee chaired by Louise McBee.

Although my opponent claims that she will fight to protect the HOPE Scholarship, Jane Kidd voted against this legislation designed to protect it. Again, she placed election year, partisan politics, against the interests of the University.

It is absolutely vital that our next senator be committed to protecting the HOPE Scholarship and to fighting for the University in the budget process.

Jane Kidd has served in the State House the last two years and her record has been one of bitter partisanship and ineffectiveness.

She has done nothing to secure funding for the University or to protect the HOPE Scholarship. Rather she has opposed these efforts.

My commitment to the University community and the constituents of Senate District 46 is simple. I will go to the Capitol and do my very best to restore a little common sense to the legislative process.

I will put aside partisanship and work constructively with leaders from both parties and the University administration to make sure the University receives every penny of state funding possible.