The relief the state budget impasse was solved in only two weeks this time was short-lived, at least here in Butler County.

That’s because for the second year in a row, state funding for Slippery Rock University and Butler County Community College stayed the same. Both institutions have pushed for funding increases, 5% for Slippery Rock and 6% for BC3.

Sacrificing greater funding for higher education on the altar of political expediency is short sighted. While the funding going to the two institutions hasn’t decreased, the decision could still prove costly in the long run.

Stagnant funding could result in higher tuition and student fees to make up for the lack of money from the state. This in turn could lead to increased student debt as students must borrow money to pay for school instead of relying on grants or scholarships. The increased costs could discourage low-income applicants from even applying.

For Slippery Rock University and BC3, the lack of increased state funds could lead to hiring freezes, staff cuts and the temptation to drop academic majors and student support services.

This is not a time for the state legislature to consider the status quo as good enough when it comes to education funding.

BC3 offers courses to prepare students for careers in nursing and emergency medical services, two jobs increasingly important to an aging county population.

Slippery Rock University’s engineering majors include petroleum and natural gas engineering, as well as the exploration of alternate energy, such as hydrogen and geothermal, which will only become more important in the county and the region.

And in a time of increased global competition, investment in an educated work force ready to adapt to a changing economy is an asset that can’t be measured in just dollars and sense.

Pennsylvania lawmakers may be reluctant to return to the budget wars so soon after successfully passing a state budget, but they should be thinking now about how to pay for a boost in state funding for higher education in the next fiscal year.

— EF