...not with Schwarzenegger. Since Californians hate tax increases (especially property tax increases), this represents a reasonable attempt to balance the budget's competing priorities given the limited resources they've got. UC tuition going up is inevitable given how fast the system's stature has risen nationally; even with the proposed UC fee increases, the system still charges far, far less than a private school of equal quality. UCLA is a hell of a lot better than George Washington university here in DC for instance, but GW charges almost double what UCLA does.
Not every priority in the budget can be fully funded when the money isn't there and the public won't support tax increases. There are no easy options.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just released his proposed budget for 2008-2009, and it includes deep cuts to higher education programs. The reduced spending is a response to a $3.3 billion budget gap.
The budget would cut $312.9 million from the California State University system, and $331.9 from the University of California system, according to their respective student associations. It is expected that the result will be large “fee” increases (California doesn’t call it tuition). The University of California Student Association, for example, is predicting fee increases from 7.4% (around $550 a year), and as high as 19% for some professional students. The fee hike would come at a time that California students are rallying behind a ballot initiative that would temporarily freeze fees for the University of California and California State University Systems, and tie future increases to the cost of inflation.
Other state programs, many that target the neediest Californians, have also been targeted for cuts, and California is bracing for a divisive debate.
Here is (some of) what the system-wide student association had to say about the proposed budget:
“It is no secret that undergraduate student fees have increased 67% since 2002 (2002-2007) and we continue to face those increases despite the need for an educated and prosperous California. The rising cost of student fees has squeezed families that don’t qualify for financial aid and cannot afford to pay for college. […]
“In the coming months CSSA will be working with student leaders on each of the 23 CSU campuses, as well as at the UC and CCC campuses to analyze the proposed budget, and empower all students to hold elected officials accountable to fully fund public higher education and stop student fee increases.”
Louise Hendrickson, President of the University of California Student Association
“Students know that it is a bad budget year. But funding for young people is an investment. An investment that has to be made even in bad budget times for our state to prosper.
“It is an insult for the Governor to label this the ‘Year of Education’ and not address the declining state funding for the University of California system. Over the next five months of the budget process students will work vigorously to restore funding to the UC System. We will be registering voters, attending budget hearings, rallying at the steps of the capitol and sitting in the offices of our legislators until an investment in the University of California is seen.”
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Not every priority in the budget can be fully funded when the money isn't there and the public won't support tax increases. There are no easy options.