BOZEMAN – The president of Montana State University is speaking out against the possibility of furloughing university workers as a way of balancing the school’s shrinking budget.
Waded Cruzado says she’s reluctant to pass judgment on any of the recommendations made to her by a 25-member board tasked with coming up with ideas to balance the budget. Still, she says, furloughs would hurt workers.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered state agencies to cut 5 percent from their budget as tax revenues drop. MSU’s budget committee is considering several ideas for reaching that goal, including cutting some bus service funding and phasing out the Big Sky Institute, a science education and outreach program.
The budget committee plans to hold a public meeting next week before finalizing its recommendations.