As lawmakers in Sacramento struggle this week to form a budget plan capable of resuscitating California’s sinking economy, higher-education leaders are preparing for yet another decrease in state funding.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget package also includes a 10 percent across-the-board funding cut for the University of California and the California State University systems, projected to save the state a sum of $264.4 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year. The Legislature passed a similar budget last year that denied the UC Board of Regents the funds it had requested to accomodate for enrollment growth.
UC spokesman Brad Hayward said that while the university is aware of the complexity of the state’s budget crisis and the limited range of fiscal options currently available to legislators, the continued lack of state financial support will be a heavy burden on university operations.
‘We certainly understand the severity of the state’s budget situation and the need for state-funded programs to play a role in the solution,’ Hayward said. ‘That said, we also are very concerned about continuing budget cuts to the university. To serve our students and the state well, the trend of disinvestment needs to turn around as soon as the state is able.’
According to Hayward, state funding for the university has decreased nearly 40 percent per student in less than 20 years, accounting for inflation and enrollment growth. The trend has led UC officials to seek out potential areas of savings in the university budget, resulting in a decision by the Board of Regents earlier this month to freeze executive salaries and cut freshman enrollment by 2,300 spots, about 6 percent of the current class size.
Lt. Gov. and de facto regent John Garamendi, who has offered vocal criticism of Schwarzenegger’s budget-reform plans over the last several months, issued a statement last week decrying the lack of educational funds included in the governor’s proposal.
‘The budget accelerates the financial decline of the University of California and the largest university in America, the California State University,’ Garamendi said. ‘California needs teachers, engineers, nurses, doctors and every other job skill. This budget gets a ‘D’ in meeting the educational needs of tomorrow’s workforce.’
UC President Mark G. Yudof has met with chancellors from the 10 UC campuses over the past several weeks, discussing the impact of a growing gap in state funding on the university’s operating budget. According to Hayward, campus leaders are in the process of identifying items within their budgets that could sustain heavy cuts in order to preserve funding for more essential campus services.
‘All of the campuses have been working intently to identify areas where they can achieve savings while minimizing the impact on the academic program and student services,’ Hayward said. ‘So a tremendous amount of work throughout the system is going into managing the budget as well as possible. But we are still quite concerned about the possibility of additional budget cuts and how they would impact the institution.’
Despite these efforts, Yudof has warned that the state’s continued failure to adequately fund the university will eventually result in increased class sizes, decreased course offerings and the hiring of fewer instructors.
Facing a projected budget deficit of nearly $40 billion, state legislators are now considering a plan that would generate roughly $15 billion in new taxes to aid the failing state economy ‘mdash; funds drawn from a state sales-tax increase of one cent on the dollar and a 12 cent increase in gasoline tax, among other sources.
State legislators are expected to finalize California’s budget plan sometime this week.
Readers can contact Reza Farazmand at [email protected].