On Nov. 6, the SUNY Board of Trustees gathered in New York City to devise a budget request for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. By the end of the meeting, they found themselves asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo for an increase in state aid adding up to over $300 million.

It’s not unusual for the SUNY trustees to request an increase in the budget. For 2014-2015, SUNY’s resolution called for an increase of 10.5 percent, or an extra $180.3 million. This year, SUNY is calling for almost double that amount and, according to David Doyle, SUNY spokesperson, the schools are in a better position to get it.

“For the first time in many years, the state is experiencing a time of relatively stable finances and has recently experienced a record number of settlements that have produced a ‘surplus’ in the current year,” Doyle said.

SUNY approved its fifth year of raising tuition prices $300 for undergraduates. Part of SUNY’s five year plan, this raise brings the price to $6,470 for in-state students for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, compared to the $4,720 in 2010-2011. According to Doyle, this money will manifest through programs such as Open SUNY, an online database for students to access courses, degrees and programs from all the SUNY schools.

As for how the SUNY budget relates to Binghamton University specifically, the state currently provides BU with approximately $40 million in direct state tax support, along with other benefits, such as charges related to improvements in Binghamton’s infrastructure. Doyle said that the 2015-2016 request calls for a $600 million investment in SUNY’s state-operated campus infrastructure over the next five years.

In the resolution, SUNY trustees asked for an increase in state aid of 17.5 percent, bringing the total budget to a potential $8.42 billion. This increase includes an additional $263.4 million in tax support for SUNY campuses, University-wide programs and system administration.

“The majority of the requested funds will go to support ongoing salary increase negotiated by the state,” Doyle said. “However, there is additional funding being requested to increase programmatic offerings and hire new faculty.”

One of the other areas the proposal focuses on is tax support for the SUNY community colleges. In the resolution, Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher stated that “the 30 SUNY community colleges ensure open access to high quality post-secondary education, and contribute significantly to the development of an educated citizenry and skilled workforce.”

With this in mind, SUNY calls for a budget increase of $34.9 million specifically for community college tax support. By doing this, SUNY hopes to increase financial aid for every full time student by $250, although it requested the same increase last year, but only a $75 increase was approved by the state.

This proposal will now be viewed by Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature, who will vote on the state budget in January.