Number of UW Campuses Projected to Have Budget Deficits Heading Into Next School Year is Down

Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 -- 11:00 AM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) The number of Universities of Wisconsin campuses projected to have budget deficits heading into next school year is down from 2023.

But, according to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, one campus has already used all of its reserves as efforts to address budget shortfalls there have negatively impacted staff morale.

Six UW schools are projected to have deficits next school year, down from 10 last year, according to Board of Regents finance committee documents. The structural deficits at those schools range from nearly $9 million to more than $500,000. The six campuses are UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Superior, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater.

The projections come amid declining enrollment at several Universities of Wisconsin campuses and after a school year where several universities were forced to furlough and lay off employees, shift funding, make cuts and restructure portions of campus operations.

In a statement, UW system spokesperson Mark Pitsch said there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure the long-term viability of the state’s public universities. “There will be more difficult decisions ahead,” he said. “But we are making progress toward our goal of eliminating structural deficits by 2028.”

At this month’s Board of Regents meeting, Gov. Tony Evers called for an $800 million increase in funding to the university system in the next two-year state budget, which would run from 2025 to 2027.

But making an increase of that size a reality will likely face opposition from legislative Republicans.

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