If Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker is elected, expect a T fare increase and cuts to higher education, Gov. Deval Patrick told student reporters on Monday.
“To me this is an election that is about a choice of values,” Patrick told six student reporters before taking questions in a conference call. “It’s about whether we move forward or whether we go back to some old policies and some old ways, frankly that in my opinion have gotten us into the national economic mess that we’ve been in.”
Patrick, the head of a state that holds more than 100 institutions of higher learning and five major public universities, told students that his administration has worked to renew public education throughout the commonwealth.
Notable accomplishments, the Democratic governor said, include passing a $2 billion higher education bond bill, beginning work on the University of Massachusetts law school and promoting higher education throughout the state.
But Patrick said that if Baker is elected and passes his planned budget, Massachusetts could slide backward.
“He’s talking about some $2.5 billion in budget cuts that he’s going to make,” Patrick said. “He’s not being specific about where they will come from, but you better believe they’re going to come out of education, and everything else is up for grabs for that matter.”
“So this is what I mean when I say we’re either gonna move forward or we’re going to move back,” he added. “We haven’t recovered yet from deep budget cuts in public higher ed that were done when [Baker] was in charge of the state budget during the Weld administration, and those were good times &- good times. Not times of crisis like this. ”
As college tuition in Massachusetts continues to rise in a bad economy, universities both private and public are struggling with how best to accommodate students, Patrick said.
“There is a raging debate in higher ed all around the country about a strategy that says go to the top of what’s tolerable in tuition and then also raise financial aid, so that those who can pay, will, and those who can’t will get adequate financial aid,” he said.
Patrick said he supports a tuition retention policy for UMass schools, so they can collect much of their money directly through student fees instead of largely depending on the state.
If Baker is elected, it’s not only education that will be affected, Patrick argued &- students may also see public transportation cuts.
“So if he gets his way and he gets the tax rollback that he is touting, you better believe that T fares are going up, fares on the commuter rail will go up, tolls on the Turnpike will go up and services will go down,” Patrick said.
Throughout the teleconference, the governor painted a sometimes frustrating picture of managing public colleges in Massachusetts.
“The almost byzantine nature of the way we support public colleges and universities… now need a total overhaul,” Patrick said.
Still, he spoke warmly of UMass and other public schools under his watch, arguing that they’re ultimately worthwhile for students who attend.
“I will say, though, with due respect to Northeastern and the other great private institutions, Public institutions are a pretty darn good bargain here in Massachusetts,” Patrick said.
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