Greetings!
Today, Governor Brown released his May Revised Budget which continues to include a combination of budget reductions and revenue increases.
The Governor did not recommend the "all cuts" budget for community colleges. Rather, he maintained the recommended $400 million system-wide reduction along with the fee increase from $26 to $36 per unit, raising revenues of $110 million.
The Governor is still counting on his ability to take the vote on tax extensions to the taxpayers. However, the budget hints at more extensive increases to student fees if tax increases are not approved by the Legislature and voters.
While the Governor's budget shows support for education during a time of severe fiscal crisis for the state, it remains a budget filled with uncertainty since there is no guarantee of the tax extension revenue or a fee increase.
We will continue to prepare for the worst case scenario which is a budget reduction of about $6.5 million for 2011-2012. This will allow us to plan rather than react at the last minute. If the final budget improves, we can always add late-start classes, increase the spring 2012 offerings, or restore line-item allocations.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Office: 909-382-4090 Cell: 909-510-9234 bbaron@sbccd.cc.ca.us |
