Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget today he will be “cognizant” of the impact a $28 million cut to the TOPS scholarship program will have on higher education institutions as his office tries to allocate $70 million in budget cuts during the next week.
Dardenne said higher education, the Department of Health and Hospitals and private contracts will be the main targets of the cuts, but his comments today suggest higher education will avoid the most severe reductions.
The Legislature agreed not to fund the $28 million shortfall for TOPS during the special legislative session, effectively cutting that funding from higher education institutions. That money would have funded students’ tuition and fees, and students and institutions will now be left to cover that gap, Dardenne said.
He also said he would take that budget hit into account as his department plans how much to cut from each area. His office will take a look at other departments for potential cuts, but warned it’s unlikely to find anything.
“We believe we’ve pretty much maxed them out,” Dardenne said. “We’ll take a look at other areas, but we didn’t go there (to higher education, DHH and private contracts) earlier, so that’s where they will be.”
Dardenne said his office will release a complete schedule of cuts next week.
—Gordon Brillon
Jeremy Alford and Gordon Brillon will publish a daily update throughout the legislative regular session on Daily Report PM. Alford reports on Louisiana politics at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
