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Governor’s budget good for higher education — mostly

UCLA students at graduation ceremonies.(Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)

Times are flush in the Golden State, fiscally speaking. With a total budget surplus of $97.5 billion, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision prioritizes the funding of higher education. Just ask Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, who helms the California Community Colleges.

In a prepared statement, he praised the governor’s proposed spending recommendation for 2022-2023.

“The Governor’s revised budget proposal provides unprecedented levels of support for California community colleges, strengthening our ability to advance educational equity and economic mobility for students and their families,” he said. “This includes the largest increase in per-student funding, and investments in faculty support, reducing our deferred maintenance backlog, modernization of technology infrastructure to better serve students and across-the-board funding increases to continue to improve student achievement.”

Multiyear funding for higher education delivers stability of spending. Year-to-year state spending does not, all things equal.

Jessie Ryan is the executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, a statewide 501 (c) (3) nonprofit advocacy group that aims to increase college completion in the Golden State. “The governor’s proposed budget is a significant step in the right direction for students and the state,” she told Capitol Weekly. “He does a good job of emphasizing higher education students with a long-term, multiyear plan for the system, especially commitments to increase access, achievement and affordability.”

Multiyear funding for higher education delivers stability of spending. Year-to-year state spending does not, all things equal.

Returning to Ryan, she has a bit of a bone to pick with the governor’s recommended higher education spending plan. Ryan wants more state funding for Cal Grants that help low-income students.

“The governor’s proposed budget fell short of providing a truly debt-free pass to college by failing to ensure that 150,000 students have access to Cal Grant awards,” according to her. “That is a missed opportunity. We’re going to be pushing very hard in the coming weeks for a Cal Grant expansion, the greatest lever in pandemic recovery policy for students, colleges and the state, amid historic declines in community colleges enrollment.”

A member of one UC labor union suggests that Gov. Newsom has revised May budget makes a case to improve academic workers’ conditions.

California Community Colleges enrolled 2,090,635 students in 2019-20 versus 2,144,315 in 2018-19 and 2,159,058 students in 2017-18. The decline in community college enrollment began before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020.

Michael V. Drake, M.D., is the University of California president. He sees that the governor’s May proposed budget revision strengthens the UC system to better serve the state’s population.

“Under this revised budget proposal,” according to Dr. Drake’s statement, “the governor and the University have also agreed to a five-year funding compact that offers reliable financial support for our campuses tied to specific student success benchmarks.”

Linking state spending to such benchmarks is a positive policy, in his view. “This increased, sustained funding will allow the University of California to make important investments that will expand access to the University for more California undergraduates.”

A member of one UC labor union suggests that Gov. Newsom’s revised May budget makes a case to improve academic workers’ conditions. “Now there is even less of a reason for UC to hold on to its anti-worker policies,” said Ariana Firebaugh Ornelas, a student researcher in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside.

“…It is disheartening to learn that the May Revision proposes no additional recurring funding for the CSU above the January budget proposal.” — Jolele Koester

“In recent bargaining sessions with United Auto Workers-represented workers,” according to her, “administrators have attempted to remove important rights and benefits, and have refused to move on important equity measures, including support for fair housing, paid family leave and decent compensation. These anti-worker positions are keeping UC from fulfilling its promise as an engine of economic and social equity. UC cannot maintain that they are advocating for diversity while adopting financial policies that force committed academics off their career paths.”

We turn to the head of the California State University system, an author and Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester. She took some issue with the governor’s proposed May budget revision.

“While predictable levels of funding in the future are welcome and appreciated,” she stated, “in light of the unprecedented surplus of state funding next year, it is disheartening to learn that the May Revision proposes no additional recurring funding for the CSU above the January budget proposal. With many economic challenges such as inflation impacting every dollar earned by our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, it is imperative that we receive additional funding to better support them and their families by providing appropriate compensation while they work to fulfill the university mission.”

An inflation-indexed, recurring funding stream could in part address rising prices of commodities such as food and fuel. In the meantime, there is a June 15 deadline for the state budget approval, as the California Constitution requires.

Editor’s Note: Seth Sandronsky reports regularly for Capitol Weekly. Contact him at sethsandronsky@gmail.com.

 

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