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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
University of California Office of the President

Media Contacts:
Brad Hayward
(510) 987-9195
brad.hayward@ucop.edu

Governor releases May budget revision

Gov. Gray Davis today issued the May Revision to his 2002-03 budget proposal, calling for reductions in state spending to address a shortfall of almost $24 billion in the state of California’s nearly $80 billion General Fund budget.

The governor’s revised budget proposes substantial cuts at the University of California, though it avoids across-the-board cuts and reductions in the core instructional program. It also proposes no increase in mandatory systemwide student fees for the eighth consecutive year, and it maintains the governor’s original proposal of funding for an average merit increase of approximately 1.5 percent for eligible faculty and staff, subject to applicable collective bargaining requirements.

The revised budget includes the following changes to the governor’s January proposal:

• A $5.4 million augmentation allowing UC to enroll 600 more students than assumed in the governor’s January budget, resulting in total enrollment growth of 7,700 students next year. UC requested the additional funding after seeing high application volumes for fall 2002.
  
  
• A $32 million, or 10 percent, cut in state funding for UC research programs. The governor’s proposal would give the university the authority to reduce spending on individual state-funded research initiatives by between 6 percent and 30 percent.
  
  
• A $28.4 million cut in state funding for K-12 outreach. This reduction, when coupled with a $4.2 million outreach cut proposed in January, would result in a 40 percent reduction in state funding for UC outreach programs in 2002-03. The proposal includes elimination of state funding for the School-University Partnerships program ($12 million); elimination of state funding for the UC College Prep Initiative, which offers online access to Advanced Placement courses ($8.4 million); a $4.7 million cut to graduate and professional school outreach, leaving $1 million for the program; elimination of state funding for the ArtsBridge outreach program ($750,000); and elimination of state funding for UC ACCORD, an outreach-related research program ($500,000). Also proposed is elimination of $1.9 million in special augmentation funding for outreach efforts specifically targeted at the Central Valley, though other outreach programs in the region would continue.
  
  
• An $11.3 million reduction for the California Subject Matter Projects, which provide professional development for K-12 teachers. The reduction is in addition to a $4 million reduction proposed in January and would leave the program with $20 million in funding. In addition, the governor proposes to remove $50.9 million in state funding for the California Professional Development Institutes for K-12 teachers, believing that an equivalent or greater amount of federal and state funding in the K-12 budget is available for teacher professional development activities.
  
  
• A one-time cut of $29 million from the university’s $150 million budget for equipment, library materials, deferred maintenance, and instructional technology. The governor’s proposal indicated that this funding would be restored in the 2003-04 fiscal year.
  
  
• A $5.2 million reduction in funding provided to UC to help expand K-12 schools’ access to the next-generation Internet2. The reduction, on top of a $4.8 million reduction earlier this year, would leave $22 million for the program.

Including some other technical changes, the May Revision proposes a net reduction of $162 million in the university’s budget. The university’s state-funded operating budget would total $3.2 billion in 2002-03.

“The proposed reductions are, of course, very disappointing,” said Larry Hershman, UC vice president for budget. “The state is facing an extremely serious budget problem, and we know that the university must play a role in the solution. In that context, we do appreciate the governor’s protection of funding for core instructional programs, student enrollment growth, and merit increases for faculty and staff. We will continue working with the governor and Legislature on the remaining budget issues, emphasizing the positive long-term effects the state realizes from a strong investment in the University of California’s programs.”

In addition to the General Fund proposals outlined above, the governor proposed an augmentation of $16.8 million to UC’s capital improvements budget to add two facilities projects: fire-protection improvements for the Sinsheimer Laboratories at UC Santa Cruz and seismic improvements for Rowland Hall at UC Irvine.

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Web Links to additional Information:
The governor’s May Revision is available online at - www.dof.ca.gov