House/Senate comparison: Base funding level for next biennium FY2012-13

Senate: Base funding for FY2012 and FY2013 is $627,849,000, a reduction of about 8% from the FY2009 base of $682,417,000 (my FY2009 number does not include the Governor's unallotment; the Senate's goal was a 7% reduction across the board in state funding).

House: Base funding for FY2012 and 2013 is a bit more complicated because funding for MnSCU central and the campuses are separated. For the campuses the base for FY2012-13 is $609,631,000, and:

8.8 (b) Allocations to campuses from
8.9 appropriations under this section must
8.10 not be reduced below the allocations for
8.11 the biennium ending June 30, 2009, after
8.12 deducting any amount unallotted in the
8.13 biennium.

The total MnSCU base for FY2012/2013 is $654.5M, a reduction of 4%, but MnSCU central is forced to take the reduction.

Implications for MSUM: The FY2012-2013 numbers matter because they drive the decisions being made now about how much to cut. The House language is clearly better for us. Our funding will still go down because of the enrollment issues the President has discussed, but not as much as if the Senate bill passes.