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Mo. Gov. promises millions to higher education

Governor Jay Nixon announced a possible six percent decrease to higher education cuts in the proposed 2013 budget.
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Governor Jay Nixon announced a possible six percent decrease to higher education cuts in the proposed 2013 budget.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says he want to add $40 million to his higher education budget.  The money would come from a proposed lawsuit settlement with five large mortgage banks over foreclosure practices.

Nixon’s proposal comes just weeks after announcing plans to slash higher education spending by nearly 106 million dollars.  House Budget Chair Ryan Silvey is glad the governor plans to add 40 million dollars to higher ed.

“I’m happy to see that the governor is finally starting to listen to the legislature and the people of this state that are demanding that higher education not continually get eviscerated as they have in their first budgets that he’s recommended,” Silvey said.

However, Maryville Rep. Mike Thomson is urging caution.

"It's good news; we definitely want to embrace that.  But I think we need to go after it cautiously.  I don't know what kind of strings will be attached.  We just need to wait and see before we--I'm pretty skeptical about letting balloons in the air too quick," he said.

Nixon, meanwhile, has warned universities not to raise tuition as a means of closing any of their budget gaps.  However, the University of Missouri System is considering tuition hikes for its campuses in Columbia, Rolla, St. Louis and Kansas City.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
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