MADISON – State Representative Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) today sent a letter to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents urging members to reject a proposed tuition increase and instead focus on reducing administrative costs and improving efficiency within the university system.

The proposal would raise resident undergraduate tuition by 2 percent this fall, following a 5 percent tuition increase approved last year.

“Just last year, Wisconsin taxpayers made one of the largest investments in the history of the UW System,” said Rep. Knodl. “Students and families were led to believe that historic state funding would help maintain affordability. Instead, they are being asked to pay more yet again.”

In the most recent state budget, the Universities of Wisconsin received nearly $800 million in additional state support. Knodl argues that before imposing additional costs on students, university leadership should address administrative growth and spending practices that have contributed to rising costs.

According to publicly reported figures, the UW System has added approximately 2,400 non-faculty positions over the past decade while serving roughly 16,000 fewer students.

“If nearly $800 million in additional taxpayer support cannot prevent another tuition increase, many Wisconsinites will understandably conclude that no amount of money is ever enough for the bureaucracy that runs our university system,” Knodl said.

Knodl noted that he raised similar concerns during last year’s budget debate, citing growth in administrative spending, executive compensation, and non-instructional staffing while enrollment has declined at many UW campuses.

“Students deserve a world-class education, but they also deserve assurance that their tuition dollars are being spent in the classroom, not absorbed by administrative expansion,” Knodl said. “The answer to every challenge facing the UW System cannot simply be more taxpayer funding followed by higher tuition.”

In his letter, Knodl warned that approving another tuition increase so soon after receiving historic state support could undermine lawmakers’ confidence that future taxpayer investments will be used to improve affordability for Wisconsin students and families.

A copy of Rep. Knodl’s letter to the Board of Regents is attached.