It’s bad news and worse news for Community Colleges and K-12 districts – the latter faring much better than anticipated – after Gov. Jerry Brown announced Tuesday he’s slashing $328 million from elementary and secondary schools.
That’s a rosier picture than $1.35 billion; the cut forecasted Nov. 16 by the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Meanwhile, following a $10 spike in per-unit credits from $26 to $36 in fall 2011, Gavilan College students will have to shell out $46 per unit come spring 2012.
The governor’s tamer K-12 cut of $328 million is comprised of $79.6 million from per-student funding – plus a one-time, $248 million bite out of home-to-school transportation.
“The state cannot give what it does not have,” resolved Gov. Brown in a live press interview posted to his website. “You either cut, or you tax. There’s no third way.”
Brown said he plans to give the public an opportunity to vote for an additional $7 billion in tax revenue on a November 2012 ballot; part of which would help fund schools.
For now, community colleges are left to shoulder $102 million of the trigger cuts. Of this, $30 million of that will be treated as a one-time deficit; the other $72 million will be permanently reduced.
For Gavilan, this equates to a $480,000 loss in state funding or, on a more personified level, funding for 108 full-time students. Gavilan serves about 6,500 full- and part-time students.
Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella said one reason the state hikes community college unit fees in the first place is “to artificially push down the demand, so they don’t have to pay for it,” he said. “It’s pretty twisted.”
Once unit fees increase, he added, they’re not likely to go back down.
Because of this, “the college will continue to make adjustments to the upcoming semester’s class schedules to bring our enrollment down and closer to the enrollment level the state will pay for,” Kinsella said.
In fall 2011, Gavilan was already serving 300 more full-time students than what is funded for by the state. The spring and summer semesters will see small adjustments to class schedules, Kinsella said.
He is also wary rising unit costs will persuade students to take fewer classes.
“That’s the typical behavior that we find, which is why we’re very concerned when we have fee increases like that,” Kinsella said. “It drives students away.”
