It's yet another ripple effect of how the Tennessee General Assembly chose to deal with the current fiscal year's budget crisis. Revise the state's terribly regressive tax system or reduce spending. They chose the latter, increasing aid to higher education by a paltry 2.3 percent. Many fiscal conservatives would contend that the schools were lucky to receive any increase in funds. The fact is, however, that Tennessee's public universities continue to fall behind those in the majority of other states.
Many people joke that Arkansas and Mississippi are perennially at the bottom of most state measures.
For the current fiscal year Arkansas increased spending by 8.5 percent, while Mississippi upped the ante by 17 percent. And it's no laughing matter when we compare tuition increases at Tennessee's state-run universities to those at other area schools, both public and private. Consequently, the state's sales tax of 6 percent is one of the highest in the country, and still the state is struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, neighboring Arkansas and Mississippi are struggling with what to do with budget surpluses. The two states have even reduced taxes in recent years.