California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger passed the state budget on Aug. 24, approving a $337 million increase in funds to the California community college system. However, parts of the community college budget were vetoed that many community college organizations have deemed integral to the welfare of the community college system.
The Basic Skills Initiative, a $33.1 million measure that would fund programs created to facilitate the new minimum graduation requirements set down in 2006, which include the state-wide equivalents of English 1A and Math D, as well as a $13.8 million rate increase for Career Development and College Preparation, which were both approved by the California legislature, were among the $703 million in the budget vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
According to John Gerhold, music professor and president of BC’s Academic Senate, a statewide organization comprised of community college faculty members that make recommendations on academic and professional community college issues, the Basic Skills Initiative veto in particular strikes a blow to community colleges.
“To not have funding for [Basic Skills Initiative] projects to continue, is undermining” the community college system, said Gerhold.
Also dropped from the budget was a program to provide equity funding for part-time faculty. This funding is important, according to Gerhold, because part-time students teach one-third of classes at community colleges, and none of them receive benefits.
The Community College League of California, a non-profit organization representing community colleges in California, said in an Aug. 24 State Budget update that they were “very disappointed” with Gov. Schwarzenegger’s decision to veto the Basic Skills Initiative and Career Development and College Preparation rate increase. However, even with Gov. Schwarzenegger’s recent vetoes, he has still done a lot to support community colleges in California, according to Gerhold.
Due to the disagreements along party lines in the Sacramento legislature about tax cuts and/or increases, disagreements that forced the budget to be signed 52 days late, “there was a sense the education areas were not going to go through,” said Gerhold.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has run a pro-community college agenda throughout the majority of his tenure in office. While tuition rates at California State Universities have continued to rise, tuition at community colleges in California has lowered to $20 per unit, the lowest of any state in the United States, even though California has the largest community college system in the nation.
According to Gerhold, this is part of a new trend across the nation that community colleges are better represented by their respective legislatures. “Community colleges are more respected now than 10 years ago,” said Gerhold.