[media-credit name=’SUNDEEP MALLADI/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]As students begin leaving the University of Wisconsin campus next week, state lawmakers are preparing themselves for what is expected to be an exciting, maybe frustrating summer of negotiations. Within the next month, legislators in the Republican-controlled Assembly and the Democrat-controlled Senate may begin creating very different versions of the state's biennial budget, which also includes the budget of all UW System schools. In the last two budgets, lawmakers have cut the UW System's requested funding by $250 million and then $90 million, leading to both program cuts and $150 million in tuition increases. Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed more than $225 million of state money toward higher education this time around, as well as some tuition and fee increases. Republican leaders have vowed not to increase taxes and fees, while Democrats are backing many of Doyle's new revenue sources. The line has been drawn defiantly over some proposed taxes, such as the governor's tax on oil companies and hospitals, while other proposed hikes — like tuition — have drawn some criticism. Tuition rising, but how much? In an interview with The Badger Herald Wednesday, Doyle recognized every student wants lower tuition but said hope is not necessarily an economic reality. "People just have to realize Wisconsin has the second lowest tuition in the Big Ten," Doyle said. "The cost of higher education [here] is a national phenomenon." Earlier this year, the UW System got pulled into an administrative scuffle with the University of Minnesota over its tuition reciprocity deal. U of M threatened to end the deal since Wisconsin students pay less at both universities. However, university officials eventually agreed to continue the deal through this fall and delay making permanent agreements. UW System spokesperson David Giroux said the state budget is a big part of the UW System and can greatly impact the quality of education students receive. He said students' main concern this summer with the budget should be ensuring the level of quality is preserved with appropriate funding. "People should not forget the relation between the state budget and tuition," Giroux added. Among several other proposals, rising tuition is probably the most unpredictable part of the system's budget. Doyle has proposed a 3-percent tuition increase to pay for the rising costs of operation, mostly due to rising utility costs. But on top of that, legislators may add another 1 percent to cover faculty salary increases. System officials have requested a 5.25-percent salary increase, which Giroux said is the bare minimum. "That would keep us from falling behind our competitors," he said. "Best-case scenario, the state decides to cover the salaries" instead of flipping the bill to students. The governor, who proposed his 1,700-page budget in February, said students' No. 1 concern this summer with the budget should be keeping his proposal to increase financial aid by $44 million. "No student should be denied education because they can't afford it," Doyle added. Today marks "Covenant Day" Nearly one month ago, Doyle announced May 10 would the first time Wisconsin eighth-graders could sign on to a program that pledges admission to college for good grades and good behavior. Critics say the administration has revealed few details of the program and question whether the state can really "promise" admission to universities. On Wednesday, two UW professors released a policy report for legislators as a guide to help develop the Wisconsin Covenant program. "If designed properly, the Covenant has the potential to raise student expectations and improve academic preparation for college," authors Sara Goldrick-Rab and Douglas Harris said in the report. The assistant professors of educational policy studies propose three guiding principles for legislators as they develop the Covenant program: provide scholarships based on merit and financial need; offer grant aid, not loans; and provide academic support services. To some legislators, the Covenant remains one more question mark in an otherwise complex state budget currently being addressed by the bipartisan Joint Finance Committee. As legislators wait for the committee to finalize its version of the budget, most have begun working on other controversial topics. Big bills on docket "I don't want to pretend that students only care about the UW System," Giroux said. "They depend on all the other things in the budget as well." In the past five months, lawmakers at the Capitol have clearly announced Republican, Democrat and bipartisan agendas for the upcoming year. Some proposals, such as creating and funding a new Government Accountability Board, have passed quickly with bipartisan support. Other comprehensive projects — such as campaign finance reform, video service provider competition and a statewide smoking ban — have moved slowly or been delayed by partisan votes. A few controversies — like the UW System's adoption of an admissions policy that considers race — have remained largely unresolved. Some legislators claim the policy violates state law and have filed a request to state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen seeking comment. Van Hollen has yet to respond.