By Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO
DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday was named chair of the National Governor Association’s education committee, but at the same time, he’s applying for a waiver to reduce higher-education financing to below levels required under the federal government’s stimulus program.
Ritter, speaking by telephone from the NGA’s annual meeting in Biloxi, Miss., said Colorado has “very positive relationships” with the U.S. Department of Education, which will decide the waiver issue.
“We’re going to attempt to get that waiver just so we can have the flexibility that can come” from it, Ritter said.
The governor outlined a mid-August timetable by which he hopes to begin announcing departmental cuts to close a $1 billion budget gap over the next two fiscal years. The cuts would be effective Sept. 1.
The decision whether to cut higher-ed financing will occur at that time, he said.
On the economy front, the governors listened to several economic forecasts, including one from McKinsey & Co., about the position states will find themselves in.
The governors spent less time discussing the ways they are cutting their budget.
“It’s difficult and unenviable choices for governors involved in budget cutting at present,” Ritter told reporters.
After the governor’s conference, Ritter will travel tonight to Washington, D.C., to testify before Congress about Colorado’s success at creating research and development and manufacturing jobs in the areas of wind and solar power production.
“It’s the story of the new energy economy, and I have five minutes to tell it,” he said.
Coincidentally, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Colorado had received another tranche of stimulus money, bringing it up to 50 percent of energy-related stimulus for which it qualifies.
The $19.6 million allocation marks the first major Recovery Act infusion funding for Colorado under the DOE’s State Energy Program.
The money allocated Monday will be spent in the fall, said Evan Dreyer, the governor’s spokesman.