Walker open to UW System tuition cap

Gov. Scott Walker said he would be open to a permanent cap on tuition at the UW System as his administration began its counteroffensive to complaints over his planned $300 million cut in state aid.

Walker didn’t offer any details on the possible cap during an appearance at a London think tank. But he suggested tuition increases could be tied to the consumer price index and said he would work with lawmakers on the issue.

Further, Walker’s administration argued that UW System reserves and increases in fees and tuition, combined with the new flexibilities that would be created if UW became a state authority, would more than make up for the $300 million cut.

UW System President Ray Cross called the Walker administration’s accounting of the reserves “misleading.”

While the UW System is open to changes in the timetable for implementing an authority model, the new flexibilities – regardless of when they’re implemented — will not provide sufficient savings to offset proposed budget reductions,” Cross said.