Gov. Susana Martinez’s veto of the entire higher education budget is getting national attention.
First, the Washington Post covered the veto earlier this week. Now, the Chronicle of Higher Education weighed in with a story.
Martinez has said the veto was necessary to balance the budget, even as she says the budget—including higher education funding—will be addressed in an upcoming special session.
The Washington Post analysis said the veto meant “nothing good” for students, adding the impasse could lead to “significant tuition increases at public universities.”
The newspaper cited a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that found, when adjusted for inflation, higher education funding in New Mexico dropped by 32.2 percent since the Great Recession, the third-largest such drop in the nation.
Now, any budget deal will likely make further cuts to the funding for colleges and universities.
The Chronicle of Higher Education said the budget situation, primarily the higher education vetoes, “has drawn national attention that could make any educator considering working in the state balk.”
The reporter on that story, Chris Quintana, formerly covered the University of New Mexico for the Albuquerque Journal.
In that story, a spokesman for the governor said, “We hope to have a deal soon, and when we do the governor will call a special session that will, among other things, restore funding for our colleges and universities.”
The longer it takes for that special session to take place, the more stories like this will pop up in both local and national outlets.
