UConn board: more transparency needed

For those of us who pay taxes in a state with about a $1 billion deficit, it really is important to know, or at least have the opportunity to know, how our money is being spent, as well as the process by which budgeting decisions are made.  About $1.3 billion of Connecticut’s annual budget  goes to the University of Connecticut (UConn), a figure its board of trustees approved in June after no open discussion. All discussion took place in executive session, out of public view. This approach should not be acceptable to state taxpayers.

There are 21 trustees on UConn’s board, who, according to the Hartford Courant, did come out of that executive session in late June to approve the budget. By the time that vote occurred, however, it was clear that any discussion had already taken place behind closed doors, without public discourse. The draft proposed budget had been released to the public on June 19, leading into the June 24 meeting where the vote took place to accept the budget. But the board’s thoughts on the budget were not shared with the public.

Why is this a big deal? Connecticut residents should be privy to the thought process behind such a large and important part of the two-year, $40 billion state budget. Tuition has gone up steadily, with a 6.5 percent tuition increase for the 2014-2015 school year. In-state students, according to the Connecticut Post, this year paid $9,858 in tuition, $602 more than the previous year, and with mandatory fees added in, the cost rose to $12,700. With room and board on top of that, the cost came to $24,774, an increase over the previous year of $1,000. 

This may seem like a bargain to some, compared to private universities. But it makes it ever harder for those students whose families struggle to pay such costs to take advantage of a good system of higher education that should be available to all state residents. When the school’s 21-member board of trustees considers all the options for the running of the state’s respected university, there should be an opportunity for those who foot the bill to know why and how they came to their final conclusions. That way, there would be a better understanding of both tuition increases and the need to fund the university at higher levels every year while the state is running such a large deficit.

It is to the credit of state Comptroller Kevin Lembo, however, on the other side of the coin, that Connecticut’s budgets and financial data are available online for all to view. There are five years of budgets posted at https://openbudget.ct.gov. This is a service to all taxpayers in the state, especially those who would like to see the way the state’s spending and income are actually going on a regular basis. Budgets are fine, but reality has a way of changing even the best-laid plans.

Sharon Hospital speaks

For those who have been keeping track of this newspaper’s wish to meet directly with the administration at Sharon Hospital to hear about the plans for dealing with the tough fiscal climate for all hospitals, but specifically their and our hospital, take note: that meeting did happen on Monday, July 27, and the resulting story by Cynthia Hochswender is on the front page of this edition. Don’t miss it, if you care about the Tri-state area’s access to good quality health care. And who doesn’t?