State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who is the ranking member on the Senate Higher Education committee, just issued a statement suggesting Governor Cuomo’s proposed cuts to SUNY and CUNY could lead to tuition hikes.

“These proposed cuts raise some immediate concerns about affordability, as colleges and universities will need to account for decreased funding. The possibility of increasing tuition, for instance, will jeopardize some students’ ability to begin and complete their college degree,” Stavisky said.

“The cut to community colleges will sting statewide, particularly Upstate, because when the economy declines people turn to these institutions for quality, affordable retraining.

What’s interesting is that Stavisky, who is from Queens, goes out of her way to point out that these cuts will hurt upstate communities particularly hard. Senate Democrats have struggled to appeal to much of upstate, where their are only 3 Democratic Senators. (4 if you count David Carlucci in the Hudson Valley).

Stavisky did have some praise for Cuomo’s plan to use colleges as economic engines for communities, something SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher has been championing since she took over. The Senator argues this is a reason funding should not be cut to higher education.

“As we move forward, we must focus on strengthening SUNY, CUNY and private college and university programs, not cutting them, to keep New York State competitive in the 21st century,” Stavisky said.

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