The California budget crisis is having a deep and widespread impact on education. Community colleges, public and private universities, vocational schools, high schools and occupational centers in the San Fernando Valley are all feeling the pinch. At Los Angeles Valley College for one, despite surging enrollment, thousands of students will be turned away due to enrollment caps set by funding formulas. Summer classes have been cut, furloughs have been announced, and the college is anticipating employee cuts. Overall the college is anticipating a 10 percent budget cut across the board and students can expect fee hikes that will drive the cost per credit unit to $26- $30. “We’re here to educate students so when we have to turn them away or they can’t get to us, it’s really painful for us,” said Valley College President Sue Carleo at a recent Education Committee Meeting of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. Brittny McCarthy, Director of Government Relations at California State University Northridge, also painted a grim picture of the future of higher education at that same meeting. University of California and California State University systems are facing $1.4 billion dollars in cuts, which for CSUN could mean a possible budget reduction of between $28 million and $49 million. The university is already preparing for the different budget scenarios by implementing caps on FY 09-10 student enrollment and a reduction of summer session offerings, McCarthy said. The California State University system is proposing to furlough all of its employees to help close the anticipated budget deficit. To date, approximately 21,000 of CSU’s overall workforce of 47,000 employees are looking at furloughs. Jean Brown, Superintendent for District 1 of the Los Angeles Unified School District, who was also at the meeting, said $700 million was cut from the District’s budget this year. Next year, cuts of $869 million are expected, impacting a system “that is already grossly underfunded,” she said. Some 2,000 teachers, mostly at the elementary level, are expected to loose their jobs. Private education is not exempt from the adverse impacts. Don St Clair, Vice President of Woodbury University, said that while not facing furloughs or budget cuts, the University is very concerned with the proposed cuts to financial aid. “We’re very concerned with the uncertainty over the Cal Grant program,” said St. Clair. He explained that about 25 percent of the student population at Woodbury would be impacted by the loss of $3.5- $4 million in student aid, if the Cal Grant program is cut. This would translate into hundreds of students showing up for class next semester thinking that they have $10,000 in student aid form the State, when in fact they might not have it. Carlynn Huddleston, principal at North Valley Regional Occupational Center, voiced concerns about how budget cuts will impact categorical programs and programs that serve students with special needs. As a solution to the looming financial problems, Huddleston proposed partnering more closely with community colleges to offer these “categorical” programs.
