State appropriations for higher education increased nominally over the last year, according to an annual survey. But the small rise and wide variations across the nation underscore why many public colleges still have reason to fret about their states’ economies.
Over all, state appropriations for colleges were 1.6 percent higher for the current fiscal year, which began on July 1 for most states, than in the previous one, according to the annual “Grapevine” survey, compiled by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University and the State Higher Education Executive Officers, known as Sheeo.
But several factors erase any notion that the national gains in higher-education spending amount to a significant step up. This year’s increase is the smallest in five years, and it falls short of the 2.1-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for the 2017 calendar year.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.chronicle.com/article/State-Spending-on-Higher/242298