Oklahoma State Regents Seek $100M In New Funding For Colleges

The panel that oversees Oklahoma's 25 public colleges and universities is asking the Legislature for $100 million in new funding, much of it for faculty raises.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education voted unanimously on Thursday to approve the $878 million budget request for the fiscal year that begins in July. The request represents a 13 percent increase over its appropriation for the current fiscal year.

The chairman of the nine-member panel of governor appointees, Jay Helm, says the requested increase would help restore cuts the system has incurred amid the state's recent string of budget shortfalls.

The request includes about $40 million for a 7.5 percent faculty raise. The regents also say they plan to support the current ban on firearms on campus.

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