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May 16, 2016 - Notable new higher education proposals in the May Revision include a $75 million increase for community college general purpose apportionments, a $26 million increase for two initiatives to improve California State University (CSU) graduation rates, and a $4 million increase to expand the University of California’s (UC’s) online A-G course offerings. We recommend adopting the proposal for community college apportionments in order to provide colleges with more flexible funding. We recommend rejecting the Governor’s proposals for UC and CSU, largely due to insufficient information about why the funding increases are needed. In this report, we also assess and make recommendations on various other higher education May Revision proposals.
April 7, 2016 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
April 6, 2016 -
Chapter 620 of 2012 (AB 970, Fong) requires the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) to fulfill the following three requirements related to systemwide tuition and fee increases:
As detailed below, our review found UC was not in compliance with several provisions of Chapter 620. Though the legislation deems its provisions to be required for UC, UC believes it is not legally obligated to comply because of its constitutional autonomy. We found CSU complied with all Chapter 620 provisions except for one reporting requirement.
April 5, 2016 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
April 4, 2016 - Presented to: California Community College (CCC) Financial Aid Directors, April 4, 2016.
March 29, 2016 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
March 14, 2016 - This brief is intended to assist the Legislature in reviewing the Governor’s proposal for zero-textbook-cost degrees. We provide background on open educational resources (OER), describe California efforts to encourage their use, and highlight zero–textbook–cost degree initiatives currently underway in other states. We then describe the Governor’s proposal and provide our associated assessment and recommendations.
February 26, 2016 - In this report, we provide background on three key areas of higher education in California: enrollment, tuition and financial aid, and institutional performance. We then analyze specific budget proposals for the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges, Hastings College of the Law, and California Student Aid Commission, making corresponding recommendations for the Legislature's consideration.
February 10, 2016 - In November 2015, the Regents of the University of California (UC) approved a proposal to enter into a public–private partnership to double the physical size of the Merced campus. Under the plan, enrollment on the Merced campus would grow from 6,000 to 10,000 full–time equivalent (FTE) students by 2020. This brief is intended to assist the Legislature in reviewing this proposal. In it, we provide background on the Merced campus and the state process for approving capital outlay projects at UC, describe key aspects of the proposed project, and raise four key issues for the Legislature to consider.
February 5, 2016 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
February 3, 2016 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
February 3, 2016 - Presented to: Senate Education Committee
January 20, 2016 - Presented to: Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications.
October 19, 2015 - At key times during the state’s budget cycle, we post tables containing important information about the education parts of the budget. Specifically, we post tables in January, May, and October. The January tables generally reflect the Governor’s Budget proposal, the May tables reflect the Governor’s May Revision, and the October tables reflect the final enacted budget. The tables currently highlighted are for the state’s enacted 2015-16 budget. The tables cover all areas of education, with tables on K-12 education, adult and workforce education, community colleges, universities, financial aid, child care and preschool.