Braun defends cuts to education during Madison County visit

Gov. Mike Braun defended recent cuts to higher education at a Madison County Tea Party event. IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports the last-minute changes to the state’s two-year budget were in response to a $2 billion forecasting shortfall.

Several state-funded programs had their budgets cut, including multiple education institutions — like the Indiana School for the Deaf.

Braun said that the need for these cuts is partially due to elected officials not “living within their means” and spending money that the state doesn’t have.

He pointed to previous Florida Gov. Rick Scott as an example of someone who he said was able to bring a state out of financial hardship.

“He turned that state around in one year,” said Braun. “And he got that state in the red, running in the black his first year, and did it for his next seven years.”

During a series of town halls, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said the current state administration “dropped the ball” with Senate Enrolled Act 1 — the state’s property tax overhaul.

When asked if he agreed with the statement Braun said he and Beckwith would have “liked to have gotten more done.”

“But I had to do all the negotiating and was wrestling with a Senate and a House,” Braun said. “And it took up until the last week to get what we got.”

Braun was interrupted by audience member Jennifer True, who said his actions are causing people in education to lose their retirements.

Braun said inefficiency is to blame.

“Somebody may be losing their retirement,” Braun said. ”But you wouldn’t be if they were being run more efficiently and you were maybe doing it from the point of view of what parents and kids would like to see.”

After his remarks, Braun spoke with True about her grievances over layoffs caused by the cuts to education.
True said her biggest concern is how the cuts will affect the academic future of her kids.

“I’m raising three boys and so I want my education system to be as robust and just as good as it can be,” said True. “And I am just waiting for our school system to say how these funding cuts are going to trickle down, to how it’s going to affect my kids.”

Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer.  Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu