System worried about further cuts

by Brian Leubitz

The UC and CSU systems stand to be some of the biggest winners (or losers) of the November election. If Prop 30, the Governor’s revenue initiative goes down, they will be facing over $250mil in cuts. That fact makes this story rather unsurprising:

The university announced on Monday that because of $750 million in funding cuts in the 2011-12 school year and the prospect of another $250 million in losses if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative* does not pass, only 10 campuses will accept students in spring 2013, and even those campuses will enroll a limited number. (EdSource)

This move will particularly hit students who are planning on transferring from community colleges. Many of these students will be waitlisted pending the outcome of the election, but this is no way to treat our future.  Gambling on funding, while seemingly necessary in this case, just isn’t a system that is sustainable in the long-term.

Both the UC and CSU systems need a consistent revenue stream in order to appropriately plan for the future.