Rep. Polletta Offers Reality Check for UConn After Renewed Requests for Increased State Funding

HARTFORD – On Thursday, State Representative Joe Polletta (R-68) responded to a public hearing in the state Appropriations Committee on Wednesday evening, in which students, administrators, and representatives from the University of Connecticut pleaded with state legislators for increased funding to the university in the governor’s proposed biennial budget.

“I have always been a supporter of UConn and their countless contributions to our state’s workforce, economy, and social fabric. I am proud of the support that the state legislature offers the University of Connecticut year in and year out and appreciate them as partners in growing our state. Wednesday’s public hearing was a strong indication that the rank and file at UConn appeared to protest and testify under a false pretense,” Rep. Polletta said.

“One-time federal ARPA funds allocated to the University of Connecticut over the past three years have run out, and now UConn is calling upon Connecticut taxpayers to foot the bill. Knowing that these were one-time federal dollars, UConn decided to fund budget line items and personnel costs. Connecticut residents will not be on the hook for the university’s misappropriation,” continued Rep. Polletta. “As a lawmaker, I am committed to fiscal responsibility and waved the red flag on reckless spending of one-time funds. UConn did not heed these warnings.”

“The General Assembly has done incredible bipartisan work in recent years to establish its financial footing with caps on spending, bonding, and volatility to ensure the solvency of our rainy-day fund. We will not jeopardize the progress we’ve made with negligent spending increases. What’s possible in Hartford is possible in Storrs. I am calling on UConn administrators to reevaluate their fiscal priorities and recognize the merit of Governor Lamont’s budget proposal,” Rep. Polletta concluded.

In a press release on Wednesday, Governor Lamont noted that, “UConn receives among the highest levels of state government funding than nearly every other public university in the nation. The university’s fiscal year 2021 appropriations as a percent of core revenues, which pertains to essential education activities and excludes athletics and auxiliary activities, is the sixth highest of the 106 national public Very High Research Institutions as defined by Carnegie Classification.

The following chart shows the growing level of state funding UConn has received over the last decade; the amount of federal emergency pandemic aid it received over the last two years; and the amount of state funding that is included in Governor Lamont’s budget proposal for the next biennium:”

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