$5.8 billion
K-12 Education
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had proposed suspending Proposition 98, which requires the state to spend at least 40 percent of the general fund on education, for the duration of the fiscal crisis. Although the budget does not suspend the proposition, it reduces the amount of money the state must spend, on the assumption that federal stimulus money would offset much of the cuts. To help districts cope with the cuts, schools would be allowed to reduce instruction by up to five days a year. Jack O'Connell, the school superintendent, has said the cuts would also result in larger class sizes, canceled summer school and no new textbooks.
Effects of the cuts UPDATED Dec. 30
- The New York TimesMost summer school programs for students from elementary through high school were canceled this year in anticipation of state budget cuts. Related article
- Contra Costa TimesCalifornia elementary and high schools are cutting staff, increasing student-teacher ratios and eliminating some arts and after-school study programs. Related article
- The Los Angeles TimesSome public school classes in Los Angeles are so crowded that students perch on file cabinets, or sit on the floor, while teachers struggle to maintain quality and grade hundreds of papers. Related article
- The Reporter89 California school districts were unable to guarantee financial solvency last spring, while 18 filed "negative" solvency certifications with the state. Related article
- The Bakersfield CalifornianSome families are home-schooling their children rather than sending them to schools with declining budgets and growing class sizes, particularly in kindergarten. Related article
- The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Unified School officials unveiled a "worst case" budget plan that could result in up to 8,000 layoffs to shoulder a projected 2010 deficit of $470 million. District officials have six months to develop and pass an final proposal. Related article
- The New York TimesIn Beverly Hills, higher-than-average property taxes combined with deep slashes to the state's education budget mean the city will stop offering spots in its renowned public high schools to students from neighboring cities. Related article
$2.0 billion
Higher Education
Cuts to the University of California and California State University systems are expected to be offset by federal stimulus money over two years. University of California officials have said they may reduce freshman enrollment and consider fee increases for the institution's 220,000 students. They will also consider furloughs, salary reductions and layoffs for the 170,000 faculty and staff. Officials at California State, which has 23 campuses and 460,000 students, have also said they may have to reduce student enrollment this fall.
Effects of the cuts UPDATED Dec. 12
- The New York TimesStudents face higher tuition, bigger classes on University of California and California State University campuses. Related article
- KABC-TVUniversity of California professors plan a walkout against budget cuts. Related article
- Santa Ynez Valley JournalCalifornia colleges grapple with state budget cuts. Related article
- daily49er.comFewer students transferring out of state community colleges. Related article
- The California ReportThousands of students and administrators held midday rallies on University of California campuses to protest budget cuts, furloughs and tuition increases. Related article
- Daily 49erProtestors held a mock funeral for affordable, quality higher education in the state outside a meeting of California State University trustees in Long Beach. Related article
- The New York TimesCollege students returned to hundreds of state campuses to find fewer offerings and a higher price tag. Tuition at the University of California could exceed $10,000 for the first time. Related article
- The New York TimesThousands of students, faculty members and employees at the 10 University of California campuses protested budget cuts, unpaid faculty furloughs and tuition increases in September. Related article
- KPBSThe number of military veterans attending college in California is expected to rise this year, just as institutions are shrinking class offerings, counseling and other services because of budget cuts. Related article
- The Los Angeles TimesUniversity of California tuition could jump $900 for undergraduates studying business and engineering -- both majors with the highest-paid faculty and graduates -- on top of other fee increases. Related article
- Financial TimesBusiness and other professional schools that are part of the state system are beefing up their private fund-raising efforts to make up for cuts in state money. Related article
- Sacramento BeeThe state faculty union began a week of rallies and teach-ins at California State University campuses to protest budget cuts and support a bill that would tax oil extraction to pay for higher education. Related article
- The New York Times MagazineMark Yudof, the president of the University of California system, answers questions about cuts to state universities. Related article
- The New York TimesAs the University of California’s Board of Regents voted Thursday to raise undergraduate fees by 32 percent, campuses struggled to absorb the sharpest drop in state financing since the Great Depression. Staff furloughs and service cuts have meant less instruction time and unkempt facilities. Related article
- The New York TimesHundreds of students from across the state demonstrated at U.C.L.A., beating drums and chanting slogans against higher fees outside the building where university regents cast their votes to pass the tuition increase. Related article
- The New York TimesTwenty-six students were arrested at San Francisco State University before dawn on Thursday after barricading themselves inside a building to protest budget cuts and tuition increases across the state’s public university system. Related article
- The Los Angeles TimesThe chairman of the board of the California State University says budget cuts to higher education risk destroying the state's famed university system. Related article
- The Los Angeles TimesLeaders of California’s three public college and university systems testified in Sacramento Monday to urge that the state restore enough money to maintain its master plan for higher education, which was developed in 1960 to produce a well-educated workforce. Related article
$695 million
Community Colleges
Cuts to the state's 110 community colleges would be offset by about $130 million in federal stimulus money and about $80 million from student fee increases. Officials have said the cuts could mean that 250,000 students would be turned away in the 2009-10 academic year. Some part-time faculty members, who teach many of the technical and vocational programs and make up about a quarter of the total staff, may also be laid off.
Effects of the cuts UPDATED Dec. 12
- California Community Colleges Chancellor's OfficeEnrollment jumped to 2.9 million at California community colleges this fall, just in time for state cuts to squeeze campus resources. Related article
- The Daily BreezeBudget cuts shrink class offerings at state community colleges. Related article
- Daily 49erStatewide budget cuts have made life harder for community college students trying to transfer to state universities. California State University will accept hardly any transfers this spring, when it plans to cut enrollment by 40,000. Related article
- Ventura County StarCommunity colleges in Ventura County began the year with staff layoffs and fewer courses for more students. At the same time, President Obama urged them and others to graduate more students and offer more job training to breath life into the economy. Related article
- San Jose Mercury NewsAs a state legislative committee reviews California's master plan for higher education, community colleges are brimming with students pushed out of the state university system by shrinking enrollments and a growing price tag. Related article