Students and teachers alike have reason to pay attention to Gov. Chet Culver’s new budget proposal.

Gov. Culver’s 2007-2008 budget proposal included a $25 million General Fund increase in core operations funding for the three Regents universities, which could spell lower tuition costs for future students. This increase, along with a $70 million increase for teacher’s pay shows the Legislature’s commitment to the benefits of higher education. The proposal also calls for a $1-a-pack tax increase on cigarettes to help pay for rising Medicaid costs.

“This is the best budget for Regents in years,” said Iowa Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, associate professor of economics.

Quirmbach said tuition costs have been on the rise for the past five to six years, which, to many, is unacceptable.

“The cost of education is cutting off students from getting higher education, and the Iowa Legislature needs to create opportunity for every student, regardless of their backgrounds,” Quirmbach said.

The renewed focus on education in the proposal is in contrast to the previous administration’s funding of the General Fund, which was $11 million last year, said Iowa Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames.

“The Regents were asking for more, and the Regents will get more for faculty and staff,” said Wessel-Kroeschell.

“They need it to keep tuition down.”

Iowa State is vying for a big piece of the funding pie, with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy making an appearance in front of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee to advocate for a budget increase, said Andy Baumert, state relations officer.

Iowa State competes with 11 other land grant agricultural institutions for grants and funding.

Baumert said Iowa State needs lower tuition costs and increase pay for faculty and staff to compete with other regent universities “[so] that ISU students are learning from the best and so Iowa, in turn, is getting the best research.”

The budget proposal includes such new initiatives as the Salary Bill, which will give $40 million towards the salaries of teachers, and the Iowa Power Fund, a four-year, $100 million fund for the advancements and use of biorenewables in Iowa businesses.

The fund will also help fund support research and development of biorenewables.

The Iowa Power Fund, being of a high priority, was called for an immediate start by Culver, said Lt. Gov. Patty Judge in a walking tour of Iowa State’s Center for Crops Utilization Research in the Food Sciences Building on Thursday.

Judge was shown Iowa State’s research in the advancements in the area of biorenewables, and in particular advancements in the production of ethanol and soy products.

“The work that you are doing here will not only benefit the state, but the entire country,” Judge said.

On the subject of higher education, Judge said the $25 million investment into the Regent universities was of vital importance since Iowa is last in the nation in giving out need-based loans and first in student debt.

This led to the creation of the Iowa Student Scholarship, which will give a one-year scholarship to 500 students in the three Regent universities and two community colleges.

“We recognize the importance of the three state universities to give world-class education for students to do anything they want,” Judge said.

Katherine Edwards, graduate student in agricultural and biosystems engineering, attended the walk-through and the press conference.

Her major depends on the legislature’s investment in the field of biorenewables.

“I think it’s exciting that the state is getting behind [biorenewables],” Edwards said.

“I’d like to see Iowa as a leader.”