(Saint Paul, Minnesota) Representative Gene Pelowski of Winona spoke out during debate on the House Higher Education Omnibus bill. Representative Pelowski believes that increases in revenue for schools will simply go to administrative salaries, citing the example of the President of the University of Minnesota making over half a million dollars a year. Representative Pelowski explained to Alpha News what happened the last time something like this occured, stating, “so while students were carrying record increases in tuition, double digits some years, and then record debt, administrators were rewarding themselves with record increases in salary and bonuses.”
According to Representative Pelowski, there are strong ,varying positions for higher education and tuition in Minnesota, stating, “Well the governor has in his proposal freezing tuition again, we have a partial freeze, and the problem with the House bill, even though I supported it, reluctantly, is that you would have increases at the university of Minnesota for everyone for the next two years, at least three percent, you have increases for the four year institutions in MNSCU for at least three percent, for one year.”
The House passed the omnibus higher education finance bill, which provides $2.95 billion for higher education in the 2016-2017 biennium for the university of Minnesota, MNSCU, and the office of higher education.
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