The 2014-2015 proposal seeks an increase of $237.6 million in state funding. Included in that total is about $80 million to increase student enrollment by about 20,000; $13 million to hire more than 500 new, full-time faculty members; $15 million to finance critical maintenance repairs and upgrades and more than $91 million to increase faculty salaries… The request is somewhat of a gamble, relying on an improving state economy and faith that, after years of cuts, lawmakers again are willing to invest in higher education. And it comes in the face of a consistent drumbeat from Gov. Jerry Brown that California’s public colleges and universities have to run leaner and acknowledge competing monetary demands on the state — such as funding healthcare, prisons and pensions. The governor reiterated those concerns Tuesday: “Each item has to fit with each other in terms of available money down the road,” Brown said. He left the meeting before the budget vote.

Read full article [here].
by Carla Rivera, The Los Angeles Times.

Posted: November 5th, 2013, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.