2008 Woodie Awards
'Governator' revises plan to cut community college budget
Daniel Gamberg
Issue date: 6/2/08 Section: News
On May 14, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his revision of the proposed January budget cuts. The revision restores funding for community colleges in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
The revised budget reinstates $236.2 million (including carryover funds from 2007-2008) to community college segments of the California General Fund and Proposition 98 related sources, a formula that guarantees a minimum annual disbursement to community colleges and K-12 schools.
The state budget cuts proposed in January included more than $500 million in cuts to California community college funds. The cuts were made to help recover a reported $24 billion state budget deficit, the largest state shortfall in the U.S. in 2008.
While the California Department of Finance predicts that community college enrollment will grow by 3 percent in the forthcoming year, the governor's proposed budget in January supports only a 1 percent enrollment growth.
The Foothill-De Anza College District's ultimate budgetary plan relies on enough growth funds to sustain at least a 2 percent annual increase in full-time student enrollment.
Under the Prop 98 budget adjustments in the May revision, community colleges will receive an increase of $35.5 million in growth funds, boosting the overall growth budget for the fiscal year to $95.5 million.
The increase is expected to support roughly 20,000 additional students in the state's 109 community colleges, accounting for a 1.67 percent enrollment growth rate.
For De Anza College, this amounts to 183.5 students per year, or about a third of its annual growth rate of roughly 500 full-time students. The governor does not propose raising student fees in the revised budget.
Directors at De Anza are planning to utilize temporary one-time funds to offset any course or staff reductions that may result from the governor's cuts. "I think we can get through '08 and '09 without much damage," said Jeanine Hawk, vice president of Finance and College Services at De Anza.
The revised budget reinstates $236.2 million (including carryover funds from 2007-2008) to community college segments of the California General Fund and Proposition 98 related sources, a formula that guarantees a minimum annual disbursement to community colleges and K-12 schools.
The state budget cuts proposed in January included more than $500 million in cuts to California community college funds. The cuts were made to help recover a reported $24 billion state budget deficit, the largest state shortfall in the U.S. in 2008.
While the California Department of Finance predicts that community college enrollment will grow by 3 percent in the forthcoming year, the governor's proposed budget in January supports only a 1 percent enrollment growth.
The Foothill-De Anza College District's ultimate budgetary plan relies on enough growth funds to sustain at least a 2 percent annual increase in full-time student enrollment.
Under the Prop 98 budget adjustments in the May revision, community colleges will receive an increase of $35.5 million in growth funds, boosting the overall growth budget for the fiscal year to $95.5 million.
The increase is expected to support roughly 20,000 additional students in the state's 109 community colleges, accounting for a 1.67 percent enrollment growth rate.
For De Anza College, this amounts to 183.5 students per year, or about a third of its annual growth rate of roughly 500 full-time students. The governor does not propose raising student fees in the revised budget.
Directors at De Anza are planning to utilize temporary one-time funds to offset any course or staff reductions that may result from the governor's cuts. "I think we can get through '08 and '09 without much damage," said Jeanine Hawk, vice president of Finance and College Services at De Anza.
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