$3.6 million cut for Vet School

The lagging economy is finally starting to catch up with Tufts in a big way.

But unlike at other schools, the endowment at Tufts hasn't withered. Instead, the University has fallen victim to state budget cuts.

Last Thursday, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney cut all of the state's $3.6 million funding for the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. State support accounted for 13 percent of the school's operating budget.

Tufts was to receive the $3.6 million as part of a contract in which the Vet School provided medical care for Massachusetts State Police dog and horse units. The state also axed a $5,000 tuition break it gave to Massachusetts residents attending the school because there is no public vet school in the state.

The cut was part of a larger $41 million decrease in funding to schools and colleges in Massachusetts and the second cut the Vet School has faced in a year. The year before the first cut, the school received $5.3 million from the state.

The Vet School did not receive any prior warning about the cut, spokeswoman Barbara Donato said. Rumors spread last year that the budget would be cut, however, prompting the Vet School to "make necessary adjustments to economize where we can and strengthen our collective efforts to enhance revenue from a variety of sources," Donato said at the time.

Due to the deficit in the state's budget, officials found it "easier to pay the bill [for police animals] themselves," rather than to continue paying Tufts, said Jodi Charles, Romney's deputy press secretary. Under the previous agreement, the state simply sent sick animals to the school and the cost was underwritten by the University.

In a bulk e-mail sent yesterday, President Larry Bacow said that the money Romney cut was related to a contract for the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2002. "We already performed these services," Bacow said. "We have not been paid."

Tufts' General Counsel has not yet determined what course of action it will pursue.

But the Governor's office is not worried about the possibility of the University filing a lawsuit. "[Tufts] can't sue ... there was an understanding by Tufts that the Commonwealth would be given funding, as it was available," Charles said.

The University hopes to maintain the Vet School's "tradition of excellence in veterinary education and research," Bacow said. The School's future remains uncertain, however, until other sources of funding are found to replace the state's former contribution. The University plans to meet with state officials and members of the legislature to discuss the government's cuts. If the funding cannot be restored, the administration may be forced to make budget cuts across the university.

While Tufts was one of the biggest single losers in the new budget, school officials around the state scrambled last week to see how they fared. Higher education cuts totaled $16 million and some said K-12 education would be hurt indirectly because of overall local aid cuts.

"There will be a lot of urban and poor school districts that will feel great pain because of those cuts," said Geoff Beckwith, president of Massachusetts Municipal Association.

The Department of Education loses combined $25 million in grants for early literacy ($11.8 million), early childhood education ($10 million), and free breakfasts ($3.1 million).

Before the cuts, the Vet School received some of the lowest funding in the country. While the school received 13 percent of its operating budget from the state, other vet schools around the country typically receive between 26 to 36 percent of their endowments from state governments. As with every other state in the country that hosts a veterinary school, Massachusetts entered into a contract with Tufts nearly 25 years ago to give money for basic operating support.

Tufts Veterinary school is one of only 28 in the country and was established in 1979.