By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – Governor Jay Nixon says Missouri's universities should expect more budget cuts next year, and that students should expect higher tuition.
Those announcements came today at a summit of higher education leaders at the State Capitol. Nixon blames the state's continuing budget woes.
"Clearly we have to be more efficient and effective with higher education," Nixon said. "We have to make sure that kids that enter college can afford it, we need to make sure that job retraining in our two-year institutions continues to be a vital part of our economy."
Nixon brokered deals the past two years with universities to limit budget cuts in exchange for tuitions remaining level. He told reporters today it's unlikely that such a deal can be struck a third time.
Missouri Budget Director Linda Luebbering told education leaders that Missouri's slow revenue growth will result in a budget gap of about $450 million.