Today, the Reclaim the Master Plan for Higher Education coalition, of which CUCFA is a member, sent a letter to the Governor and State Legislators, asking for a state budget that supports public higher education. The full letter is below:

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Honorable Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160

 

The Reclaim CA Higher Education coalition is a coalition of stakeholders committed to the reaffirmation of California’s Master Plan for Higher Education. We are the students, staff, faculty, and vested community groups of the California Community Colleges, California State University, and the University of California – representing approximately three million constituents.

We call upon you to adopt a Budget for 2016-17 that provides adequate funding to all three public institutions of higher education. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) predicts a shortage of 1.1 million bachelor or higher degree graduates in California by 2030. The future of California’s position as an economic powerhouse is dependent on fulfilling this critical need. Building requisite enrollment to support California’s prosperity will require a long-term financial commitment to the expansion of public higher education.

While the loss to the State of California is significant, think also of the thousands of individuals who have missed out on pursuing their dreams and educational opportunities. To that end, we must acknowledge that depressed communities are more immediately affected by tuition and other cost increases, due to fewer individual and family resources.

The California Community Colleges

• We endorse the allocation of $3.6 million to restore the part-time faculty office hours categorical program found in both the Assembly and Senate versions of the budget and the Assembly’s $21.9 million for additional full-time faculty positions.
• We wholeheartedly support the Senate’s increase in unallocated base funding by $10.29 million.
• We support the Assembly’s approach to the Strong Workforce funding with a 75/25, district to region ratio.
• We support the Senate’s allocation of $8.68 million to restore the CCC CalWORKS categorical program and the Assembly’s $2.37 million for the restoration of MESA and Puente.
• We wholeheartedly support the $300,000 Academic Senate funding increase contained in the Assembly, Senate, and May Revise versions of the budget.

California State University

• We endorse the Assembly version of the budget that allocates $101 million for the CSU.
• We wholeheartedly endorse the funding of the State Auditor to investigate CSU executive compensation, CSU administrative bloat, and contracting out.

University of California

• We strongly urge the Assembly, Senate, and Governor to increase General Fund allocations to cover the full cost of resident undergraduate enrollment growth – targeting non-resident enrollment misidentifies the root of the problem, which is insufficient public funding for resident enrollment.
• We agree with the budget emphasis placed by both houses to add $6 million to fund 600 additional Graduate Students to further undergraduate student success.
• We support the appropriation of $1 million from the state General Fund to enable the State Auditor to investigate beyond this year’s report and engage in contemporaneous oversight of the University of California budget, review the policies, practices, and procedures of the UC. The auditor will provide critical public transparency by publicly reporting its findings.

We look forward to working closely with you to re-prioritize higher education in the State of California. Thank you in advance for your hard work and dedication to our State’s future.

Sincerely, and in deepest solidarity,

• AFSCME UAPD – Stuart Bussey, President
• CCCI – Richard Hansen, President
• Courage Campaign – Eddie Kurtz, Executive Director
• CPFA – John Martin, Chair
• CSUEU – Pat Gantt, President
• CUCFA – Michael Burawoy, VP for External Relations
• Teamsters 2010 – Jason Rabinowitz, Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer
• Student Senate for California Community Colleges – Dahlia Salem, President
• UAW 2865 – Robert Cavooris, President
• UAW 4123 – Sandip Roy, President
• UAW 5810 – Anke Schennink, President
• University of California Student Association – Kevin Sabo, President
• UPTE-CWA 9119 – Jelger Kalmijn, President

Cc: Honorable Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the Assembly
Honorable Kevin De Leon, Senate President Pro Tempore
Honorable Assembly member Phil Ting, Chair Assembly Budget Committee
Honorable Senator Mark Leno, Chair Senate Budget Committee
Honorable Senator Lara
Honorable Senator Hancock
Honorable Senator Nielsen
Honorable Senator Bates
Honorable Assembly member Bloom
Honorable Assembly member Gonzalez
Honorable Assembly member Obernolte
Honorable Assembly member Olsen
UC President Janet Napolitano
CSU Chancellor Timothy White
CCC Interim Chancellor Erik Skinner