From:   ROBERTSON_PIEDAD  Sent:   Thu 3/6/2003 2:10 PM
 To:   DISTRICT

 Subject:   Budget Update


March 6, 2003

Dear College Community,

This is the fifth in a series of weekly budget updates. You might recall that last week we had gotten word from Sacramento that an additional $38 million was being cut from community college budgets, even before the state Legislature agrees on midyear reductions. The additional cuts result from lower-than-anticipated property tax collections, which Gov. Gray Davis had announced would not be replaced by the state.
The good news is that the Assembly Budget Committee voted this week to restore the $38 million. However, that money will go to categorical programs (such as EOPS, Disabled Students, Basic Skills, etc.) rather than the general fund.

The bottom line is that community colleges still face overall drastic cuts. Gov. Gray Davis and the State Legislature remain at a stalemate on what to do. The disagreement centers on how deep the cuts should be and whether taxes should be increased.

Here is how it currently stands: The governor wants to reduce community college funding by $288 million this fiscal year. The State Senate is seeking $179 million in cuts and the Assembly Budget Committee is recommending $157 million.

Meanwhile, several campuswide legislative advocacy and education efforts continue. As reported earlier, much of the efforts are focused on the March 17 rally in Sacramento (for which the Associated Students is chartering several buses to take students and employees) and the March 28 rally in downtown Los Angeles.

I will be speaking at a Town Hall Forum, "Crisis in Public Education," at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9 in Malibu. For more information on the forum, go to: http://www.smmirror.com/volume4/issue38/education_crises_are.asp.
Please contact Public Information Officer Bruce Smith, ext. 4209, if you have any questions.
 
Piedad Robertson
Superintendent/President