Students at California's public colleges and universities should brace for more tuition increases given the budget plan the Legislature is voting on today.
The 2011-12 plan calls for cutting an additional $150 million each from the California State University and the University of California -- for a total loss to each system of $650 million for the year.
"Because cuts of this magnitude inevitably will drive up tuition for public university students and their families, we cannot stand silent," UC President Mark Yudof said in a statement this morning.
"While we recognize the enormity of the fiscal challenge facing the state, we continue to oppose further cuts, and support any efforts that will restore long-term stability to state funding of higher education."
In addition, UC's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco is slated to lose $1.5 million in the spending plan.
The budget also calls for further cuts to higher education if projected revenue doesn't materialize by mid-December. Colleges and universities will be the first in line to take those cuts under a tiered system Gov. Jerry Brown introduced yesterday.
If the state gets $2 billion to $3 billion of the $4 billion in projected revenues, UC and CSU will each lose another $100 million, and fees at community colleges will go up by $10 a unit, or $300 a year for a full-time student.
"The proposed 'trigger cut' of another $100 million is especially problematic because the trigger won't be pulled until classes for our last semester of the fiscal year have already started and it is too late for campuses to respond in any practical way," said CSU Chancellor Charles Reed. "This makes it impossible to plan and carry out our mission with any stability."
Community college officials also said the potential for mid-year cuts could create havoc on campuses. If the state decides to raise fees after students have paid for the spring semester, college officials and students will face huge hassles, said Dan Troy, vice chancellor of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.
"It's a very messy situation, very administratively difficult," he said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this post erroneously identified Charles Reed as CSU's president. This post also was updated at 2 p.m. to reflect that the state will evaluate revenue projections in December.
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