MADISON - Rep. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, announced Monday, April 22 his support for a two-year tuition freeze and a much closer examination of the University of Wisconsin system. Marklein, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Audit Committee, made the request after a review of the UW system's finances by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) revealed a sizable surplus.
"As a graduate of UW-Whitewater, in addition to having children who have graduated from UW-Madison and UW-Oshkosh, I understand the importance of investing in the UW system," Marklein said. "However, it is vital that our institutions of higher education are held accountable and student tuition and taxpayer money is spent wisely and efficiently."
Marklein, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner, is a member of the "CPA Caucus" in the State Assembly. The CPA Caucus consists of five members of the state Assembly who are CPAs. Earlier this year, the group of lawmakers met with the LFB to discuss the state's general fund and requested additional information regarding the UW System's finances. The LFB followed up with a memo Friday, April 19, which found that the UW system had a cash surplus of $650 million at the end of the last fiscal year.
"With the new knowledge of such a large surplus, I believe we need to re-assess Governor Walker's current budget recommendation of an increase of $181 million in GPR for the UW system," Marklein said. "We also need to sit down and ask: In how many other places in state government is this happening?"
Although tuition is determined by the Board of Regents, Marklein expressed concerns that the current cap on tuition, up to 5.5 percent, is set to expire this fiscal year on June 30. Marklein also explained that come July 1, tuition will be solely up to the Board of Regents, and the governor's budget had anticipated tuition would go up.
"As a graduate of UW-Whitewater, in addition to having children who have graduated from UW-Madison and UW-Oshkosh, I understand the importance of investing in the UW system," Marklein said. "However, it is vital that our institutions of higher education are held accountable and student tuition and taxpayer money is spent wisely and efficiently."
Marklein, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner, is a member of the "CPA Caucus" in the State Assembly. The CPA Caucus consists of five members of the state Assembly who are CPAs. Earlier this year, the group of lawmakers met with the LFB to discuss the state's general fund and requested additional information regarding the UW System's finances. The LFB followed up with a memo Friday, April 19, which found that the UW system had a cash surplus of $650 million at the end of the last fiscal year.
"With the new knowledge of such a large surplus, I believe we need to re-assess Governor Walker's current budget recommendation of an increase of $181 million in GPR for the UW system," Marklein said. "We also need to sit down and ask: In how many other places in state government is this happening?"
Although tuition is determined by the Board of Regents, Marklein expressed concerns that the current cap on tuition, up to 5.5 percent, is set to expire this fiscal year on June 30. Marklein also explained that come July 1, tuition will be solely up to the Board of Regents, and the governor's budget had anticipated tuition would go up.