Committee agrees with staff, recommends lower tuition rates

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education committee has recommended that not all public universities get the tuition hikes they were looking for this year.

The committee, which is made up of members of the full council, backed a staff recommendation on Thursday that five of the state’s public universities not be allowed to increase their students’ tuition as proposed. A vote by the full council was expected on Friday.

“We’ve all been dealt a hand that’s a little bit hard to deal with, and a little bit hard to play” Dan Flanagan, the council’s vice chairman, said.

A decision by the council would come as Kentucky universities struggle to cope with increasing costs and decreased funding from the state. Kentucky lawmakers last month approved a two-year $19-billion state spending plan that included an overall cut to public higher education funding of about 3 percent.

University presidents have lobbied the council, asking for support for their proposed tuition hike increases. They say that without the additional money from tuition, other areas of university life will suffer.

But members of the Budget and Finance Policy Group said they were concerned with continued increases in tuition and college affordability.