Consequences of 1983-1984 Budjet Cuts

The Governor of California's veto actions on the 1983-84 Budget Bill amounted to a cut of $232 million, eliminating the funding necessary to implement equalization, inflation, and growth provisions. This funding cut will result in a 12% decline in the real buying power of community college budgets. The Governor's cut is particularly unfortunate since it comes on the heels of 1982-83's $30 million cut and a 5-year period during which the buying power of college revenues fell by one-fourth and of budget reserves by three-fourths. The results of the budget cut will include the following: (1) statewide, over 15,000 course sections, or 10% of instruction, will be cancelled; (2) approximately 10,000 staff, largely part-time faculty, will be laid off; (3) an estimated 163,000 students will be lost; (4) the ability of community colleges to offer programs in high demand areas of business, engineering, and related fields will be particularly impaired; (5) efforts to improve student retention through better assessment and counseling will be impossible; and (6) many other support services for those students who remain will be discontinued. Appendices include graphs displaying the results of the Governor's veto and the decline in college buying power, charts detailing the impact of the veto actions on each district's budget, a historical summary of community college budget reductions since 1978, and a summary of 1982-83 cutbacks. (Author/AYC)