Gregg Haddad

Dear Neighbor,

The Hartford Courant headline sums it up: The Republican budget hits UConn hard with a combined cut of $309 million for UConn and UConn Health Center over the biennium.

That includes $185 million for the Storrs and regional campuses and $124 million for UConn Health.

For Storrs and the regional campuses, a cut of $185 million would be beyond devastating....impacting both students and faculty.

It would also result in major tuition increases ....a back door tax increase on families.

UConn would also need to make drastic cuts in financial aid, making the cost of a UConn education unaffordable for many Connecticut families.

In short, the Republican budget is a recipe for disaster and would result in skyrocketing tuition rates for university schools across the state.

The cuts in this budget could also mean the closure of local UConn campuses and impact other state university schools, including Eastern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University and community colleges as well.

Not stopping there, the GOP budget adds insult to injury by eliminating the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program that helps middle class families afford to go to college. The resulting cuts in scholarship programs will mean diminished opportunities for middle-class families of Connecticut.

As advertised by our Republican colleagues, this budget is described as moving Connecticut forward. The sad truth is that this budget moves our state dramatically backward at a time when we're trying to make Connecticut more competitive with other states in attracting business.

Governor Malloy has said he will veto this budget. I hope my colleagues in the General Assembly will join me in working on a budget that does not destroy our flagship institution of higher learning or increase the burden on hardworking families.

Sincerely,

Gregg