State budget passes sending Temple $155.1 million in state funds

Gov. Wolf signed the bill Friday, which increased the state’s contribution to the university compared to last year.

President Richard Englert joined leaders from other state-related universities in Harrisburg last February to discuss funding. | SYDNEY SCHAEFER / FILE PHOTO

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf approved House Bill 2244 in a late-night signing Friday, providing Temple University a $155.1 million appropriation to support the university’s budget for the upcoming school year.

The increase is about $4.5 million more than last year’s contribution from the Commonwealth.

We continue to monitor the state budget process and advocate for Temple,” wrote University Spokesperson Brandon Lausch in a statement to The Temple News. “These vital dollars from the Commonwealth will support Temple’s core mission to provide excellence in education and access to high-quality, affordable programs.”

Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh and other state-related institutions also received funding increases of about 3 percent.

Appropriations have not always been stable. With state appropriations secure, administrators are no longer concerned that the impasse that started in October threatened the $12,000 tuition discount in-state Temple students receive.

In February, President Richard Englert asked the state to send Temple almost $173 million in state funding, but officials told the university to expect flat funding for a third year in a row.

Ken Kaiser, Temple’s chief financial officer and treasurer told The Temple News in October that the university would have considered raising tuition rates for in-state students if funding negotiations continued to stall, and refund them if a budget was passed at a later time.

This increase brings Temple closer to its state funding levels before appropriations were slashed in 2011 by more than 20 percent.

JULIE CHRISTIE / THE TEMPLE NEWS |  Made with Flourish

Temple’s Board of Trustees will convene in Sullivan Hall on July 10 to finalize tuition rates for the 2018-2019 school year, taking into consideration the state budget funding.

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