Staff
- Sara Cortez
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(916) 319-8348
Special Education, Preschool, and Child Nutrition - Kenneth Kapphahn
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(916) 319-8339
Proposition 98, School District Budgets, School Transportation - Lisa Qing
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(916) 319-8306
California Community Colleges - Michael Alferes
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(916) 319-8338
Local Control Funding Formula, Charter Schools, Alternative Schools, High School Career Technical Education - Ian Klein
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(916) 319-8336
University of California; College of the Law, San Francisco; California State Library - Natalie Gonzalez
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(916) 319-8362
California State University, Student Financial Aid - Edgar Cabral
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(916) 319-8343
Deputy Legislative Analyst: K-12 Education - Jennifer Pacella
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(916) 319-8332
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Higher Education
Publications
Education
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
The Master Plan at 50: Connecting Financing With Statewide Goals for Higher Education
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April 7, 2010 - Testimony of Higher Education Director, Steve Boilard, to the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education.
Overview of 2010-11 Higher Education Budget
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March 24, 2010 - Presented to Assembly Budget Committee Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Overview of 2010-11 Higher Education Budget
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March 18, 2010 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education.
Eligibility and Admissions in California Public Higher Education
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March 10, 2010 - Presented to Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education
Webcast: The 2010-11 Budget: Higher Education
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- Video
February 25, 2010 - Section director Steve Boilard discusses the LAO report "The 2010-11 Budget: Higher Education."
The 2010-11 Budget: Higher Education
February 25, 2010 -
Though the Governor portrays his 2010-11 budget proposal as protecting education, his plan would affect areas of education quite differently—significantly reducing funding for child care and K-12 education while augmenting funding for most higher education programs. We recommend the Legislature build a more balanced education budget. For higher education, we recommend providing new funding for community colleges through a $14 per unit fee increase; reducing the proposed augmentations for the state’s universities while still restoring their per-student funding rates to 2007-08 levels; and rejecting the Governor's proposed cuts to financial aid programs. Our recommendations on other parts of the education budget are contained in a companion publication: The 2010-11 Budget: Proposition 98 and K-12 Education.
(Short video introducing this report)
Promise of California's Master Plan: Access Through Affordability
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February 17, 2010 - Presented to the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Education. Hon. Ira Ruskin, Chair, and Hon. Gloria Negrete McLeod, Chair.
Proposed Cal Grant Reductions
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February 17, 2010 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
The Master Plan at 50: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts--Coordinating Higher Education in California
January 28, 2010 - California’s approach to coordination of the state's higher education system over the past 50 years has been indirect, resting mostly on well–defined missions and eligibility pools to guide the development of higher education institutions. This approach worked well during several decades of expansion, producing arguably the greatest higher education system in the world. The effectiveness of this approach has declined over the last quarter century, however, and institutions have been left to pursue their separate interests with insufficient mechanisms to advance the state’s priorities. This report examines the need for a systemwide approach to planning and coordination of California’s system of higher education, and proposes strategies for improvement.
Webcast: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts--Coordinating Higher Education in California
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- Video
January 27, 2010 - In this 5-minute video, analyst Judy Heiman discusses the LAO Report "Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts--Coordinating Higher Education in California."
Prisons vs. Universities Proposal Would Unwisely Lock Up Budget Flexibility
January 26, 2010 - In his January budget, the Governor proposed a state constitutional amendment that would require reductions in spending on state corrections, with corresponding increases in spending for public universities. Beginning in 2014–15, the state would be required to dedicate no more than 7 percent of state General Fund spending to corrections and no less than 10 percent to public universities. We urge the Legislature to reject this proposal because it (1) would unwisely constrain the state’s ability to allocate funding where it is most needed each year; and (2) is unnecessary, as the state already has the ability to shift funding among programs without this constitutional amendment. Special session.
What Role Does the State Play in Public Higher Education?
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December 15, 2009 - What Role Does the State Play in Public Higher Education? This is one of a series of issue briefs examining important questions about higher education funding in California. For more information on this topic, or to request other briefs from this series, contact the Legislative Analyst’s Office Higher Education section at (916) 319-8349, or visit our Web site at www.lao.ca.gov.
Does the State Spend More on Corrections or Higher Education?
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December 3, 2009 - Does the State Spend More on Corrections or Higher Education? This is one of a series of issue briefs examining important questions about higher education funding in California. For more information on this topic, or to request other briefs from this series, contact the Legislative Analyst’s Office Higher Education section at (916) 319-8339, or visit our Web site at www.lao.ca.gov.
What Is the Variation in Racial and Ethnic Group Participation at California Public Colleges and Universities?
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December 3, 2009 - What Is the Variation in Racial and Ethnic Group Participation at California Public Colleges and Universities? This is one of a series of issue briefs examining important questions about higher education funding in California. For more information on this topic, or to request other briefs from this series, contact the Legislative Analyst’s Office Higher Education section at (916) 319-8349, or visit our website at www.lao.ca.gov.
How Fast Is the College-Age Population Growing?
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December 3, 2009 - How Fast Is the College-Age Population Growing? This is one of a series of issue briefs examining important questions about higher education funding in California. For more information on this topic, or to request other briefs from this series, contact the Legislative Analyst’s Office Higher Education section at (916) 319-8339, or visit our Web site at www.lao.ca.gov.