Pa. budget would give $36.5 m. to Penn

If the proposal is passed, the Veterinary School will get $31.5 million. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge unveiled his proposed 1998-99 state budget yesterday, earmarking $1.3 billion for higher education -- about $36.5 million of which would be pocketed by the University. Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine would reap about $31.5 million, roughly a 3.25 percent increase from the $30.5 million allocated in fiscal year 1997-98. The University would receive an overall 2.8 percent increase over the approximately $35.5 million it received last year. The School of Medicine and the Dental School -- awarded $4 million and $938,000, respectively -- would not see any additional funding under the proposed budget. These are standard appropriations for all statewide medical and dental schools, University Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said in October. The governor's proposal will be debated in the coming months. Although some Democrats blasted the budget's lack of middle-class tax cuts, Republicans control both houses of the state legislature, and the budget is likely to pass largely unchanged. Ridge, a Republican elected in 1994, is running for reelection this year. Eighty-five percent of the funding allocated to the University was earmarked for the Vet School. The large grant attests to the school's strong ties to the state and to the federal Department of Agriculture, Vet School Associate Director of Administration Barry Stupine said. Penn's Vet School is the only veterinary school in Pennsylvania. By contrast, there are five or six medical schools in the state, Stupine noted. "We act like a state veterinary school," he said, adding that public and state-owned institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University and Temple University received the same 3.25 percent increase in funds under the proposed budget. Penn submitted its 1998-99 budget proposal in September, asking the state for $36.9 million in funding, including $31.4 million for the Vet School, $4.4 million for the Medical School and $1.1 million for the Dental School. "The governor gave the Vet School more than we requested," Director for Commonwealth and City Relations Paul Cribbins said, adding that he was "pleased" with the overall breakdown of funds. While the Vet School suffered financial problems earlier in the decade, University President Judith Rodin convinced state legislators to award $30.5 million to the school for 1997-98 -- more than double the amount it received in the three years prior to that. "[The Vet School is] still a great bargain to the Commonwealth," Cribbins said. State funding covers about 43 percent of the Vet School's budget, while state-run veterinary schools outside Pennsylvania receive about two-thirds of their funding from their states, he added. The increased funding comes just 1 1/2 years after Ridge threatened to eliminate the state's future contributions to the University. At the time, Ridge said that he did not have a "philosophical problem with funding private institutions." But he said the state's first obligation was to its public schools. Ridge maintained his stance this year, investing about $71.2 million in private colleges and universities, compared to the more than $1 billion he set aside for public institutions. Other aspects of Ridge's fourth budget proposal include a $17.8 billion spending plan that eliminates the state income tax for families of four earning up to $25,000, saving them $700 a year. Also, he plans to expand Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program to provide health care for an additional 122,000 children. Ridge's budget projects a surplus of more than $330 million, allowing him to increase spending by 3 percent -- the largest proposed spending increase of his tenure. "We cannot abandon the fiscal responsibility that got us here," Ridge said. His proposed budget also calls for a tax cut to technology start-up companies, a $23 million contribution to job training for welfare recipients and a loan program for small businesses to accommodate employees with disabilities.