On heels of tuition hike, lawmakers knock Baker's UMass system cut

http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20150722/NEWS/150728822/0/breaking_ajax



Lawmakers are knocking Gov. Charlie Baker's cuts to the University of Massachusetts system.

On heels of tuition hike, lawmakers knock Baker's UMass system cut
By Colin A. Young
State House News Service
Posted Jul. 22, 2015 at 12:19 PM

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker's veto of more than $5 million in University of Massachusetts funding "presents challenges" for the state's five-campus system, its administration says, and university officials hope legislators will overturn the cut.

Before he signed the annual budget bill last Friday, Baker vetoed $162 million from the $38.1 billion spending plan, including $5.25 million in UMass funding.

In a statement Friday, new UMass President Marty Meehan said he was disappointed that Baker reduced funding for UMass from the $531.8 million approved by the House and Senate to $526.6 million.

"This veto presents challenges that we must now assess as we pursue our overarching goals of building quality, while at the same time protecting the University's long-term fiscal stability," Meehan, who was a member of Baker's transition team, said in the statement.