A statement on downsizing the ongoing government services budget from Eli Fly, acting president, University of Tennessee:
“In a state that is at the bottom in tax burden and in spending on education, the General Assembly should not seriously consider this budget. I can’t imagine that the citizens of Tennessee would tolerate cuts in education of nearly a half a billion dollars.
“Our future depends on more Tennesseans graduating from high school and completing some level of post-secondary education. The good paying jobs will demand a better-educated population. That-s why we need to make investments in the people of Tennessee, not cuts that will cause irreparable harm, particularly to public higher education and K-12 schools.
“Those who are concerned about the future of the University of Tennessee and the state as a whole should be talking about this issue with their local representatives soon.”