Gov. Jerry Brown discusses proposed budget cuts during a news conference in Sacramento on Jan. 5. Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Shortly after the new year began, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a $92.5 billion state budget for 2012-13. With that budget comes more cuts to higher education, but if voters do not approve Brown’s tax measures on the November ballot, the cuts will be severe. Mt. SAC alone, for example, will directly lose $6 million in funding and see enrollment decrease 5% if the measures do not pass, according to President William Scroggins’ letter to faculty.
Brown’s proposed budget also reduces state financial aid to college students by about $304 million. The Los Angeles Times reported that the minimum GPA required to qualify for the state Cal Grant program would be raised significantly.
The upper tier of grants, referred to as Cal Grant “A,” provides tuition up to $5,472 at Cal State universities, up to $12,192 for University of California students and up to $9,708 toward tuition and fees at private institutions. That grant’s minimum requirements are being raised from a 3.0 GPA to 3.25. Cal Grant “B” gives $1,551 in aid to go to tuition, books, and other expenses, and is more popular among community college students. Qualifying for a Cal Grant “B,” if the budget is passed, will require a minimum 2.75 GPA, up from 2.0.
The ballot measures are a result of the promise Brown made during his 2010 gubernatorial campaign to avoid raising taxes without voter approval. They consist of a half-cent increase in the sales tax as well as increased taxes on incomes of more than $250,000 for the next five years.
Brown projects that the taxes, if approved, would generate about $6.9 billion in additional revenue each year, with the goal of ultimately closing the $28 billion budget shortfall. However, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates the revenue to be significantly lower, at about $4.8 billion in the first year and $5.5 billion in the years following.
Matthew Medina
News Editor
