For the six-month-old 2002-03 school year, California community
colleges will receive $161 million less than what they originally
anticipated.
For the six-month-old 2002-03 school year, California community colleges will receive $161 million less than what they originally anticipated.
Gov. Gray Davis signed last week’s mid-year budget cutting bill for community colleges that school officials around the state are calling a bittersweet victory.
It’s bitter because junior colleges are losing millions more than their four-year institution counterparts. It’s sweet because they are taking less of a hit than what they’ve been bracing for and indicates that cuts from next year’s budget may be less severe than expected.
This year’s budget cuts will amount to a 3.3 percent reduction in funding rather than the originally proposed 6.2 percent reduction. In the case of Gavilan College, its $800,000 share of cuts will now only run about $550,000.
Kinsella and other community college officials in California credited an unprecedented lobbying effort, which culminated in a 10,000 student protest at the state capital, for the state’s leniency.
“It’s for the most part good news. We’re glad (the governor) has finally given us direction for the current year,” Gavilan President Steve Kinsella said. “But we do still have to make cuts.”
Complicating matters is that a $71 million shortfall in revenue from Santa Clara County property taxes will not be subsidized by the state under the new budget cutting plan.
The shortage of money puts Gavilan in a position where it must reduce spending on maintenance equipment and new equipment and materials for classrooms and the library.
The school will hold off on a heating and air conditioning improvement project and the school library will have to reduce the amount of new books and periodicals it purchases, Kinsella said.
Kinsella said the school should be able to stay true to its goal to not let go of any full-time employees, although a handful of vacant positions will likely not get filled. Kinsella also reported that the $1 million in state cuts for next school year would likely be only $750,000.
The good news does not mean classes that have been cut from Gavilan’s course offerings will be reinstated.
Gavilan College is saving more than $100,000 in part-time teacher salaries this semester and next by cutting some course sections. Kinsella said the sections would not be added back in light of the most recent news because the state has not been funding Gavilan College for all the students its serves.
