With California’s budget still straining, it was inevitable that the new governor would search desperately for places to cut. And it was inevitable that all the old favorites would be targeted. This means that higher education—one of the only “flexible parts of the budget,” in Gov. Brown’s words—is on the chopping block again, with a proposed $1.4 billion in budget cuts. The UC and CSU systems will each face $500 million in state funding cuts, while the community college network can expect another $400 million in cuts.
“Higher education is the state’s main economic driver, and we cannot improve our economy without an educated workforce,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. UC Chancellor Mark Yudof pointed out that while state support for students has declined by 57 percent over the past 20 years, “The cost of producing a credit hour actually has decreased. It’s the students’ co-pay, if you will, that has risen.” Both Chancellors said that they will work closely with the state legislatures, their boards, and their faculties to minimize the impact of the cuts on students. Yudof added that he would do what he could to avoid raising tuition yet again this year. Tuition at UC schools has risen a total of 40 percent in two years. Read more at the Business Journal and Santa Cruz Sentinel.
