Posted February 2, 2000

Gov. Gray Davis has unveiled a 2000-01 state budget proposal that would fund a dramatic expansion of the University of California's professional development programs for K-12 teachers and make a major investment in UC research benefiting the state's economy.

The governor's budget also would provide funding for UC to enroll 6,000 new students, strengthen undergraduate education, provide faculty and staff salary increases to help maintain quality programs, and prevent any increase in mandatory systemwide student fees for the sixth consecutive year.

"This is a superb budget for the University of California," said UC President Richard Atkinson. "We are pleased that the governor has affirmed UC's role in assisting the public schools and fostering economic growth in California. The governor also has provided an increase in our basic budget that allows us to maintain access, quality and affordability."

Overall, the 2000-01 budget proposal would provide UC with a 12.1 percent, $328 million state General Fund increase over 1999-2000. More than one-fifth of this increase is attributable to the governor's teacher development initiatives for UC. The university's state-funded budget would total $3 billion under the plan.

K-12 and Outreach Initiatives

The budget includes nearly $70 million to create or expand UC-led programs providing professional development to teachers in California's public schools.

The proposals include a $20 million expansion of the California Subject Matter Projects, which provide subject-specific professional development to K-12 teachers. They also called for a $14 million augmentation to the Governor's Reading Professional Development Institutes, which would expand to serve 14,000 K-3 teachers ã up from the 6,300 now being served in the program's first year.

The package also includes funding to establish the California Algebra Institutes for high school algebra teachers; initiate the California Mathematics Institutes for teachers in grades 4-6; double state support for the English Language Development Professional Institutes for high school teachers; establish Professional Development Institutes for high school math and English teachers; and expand the New Teacher Center at UC Santa Cruz.

Beyond the $70 million for teacher development programs, the budget includes a $3 million augmentation to a UC program providing online Advanced Placement courses to students in schools with few or no AP classes; additional funding for the California State Summer School for Math and Science, which provides enrichment to academically talented high school students; and funding to develop Algebra and Pre-Algebra Academies for students in grades 7-8 and 4-6, respectively.

The budget also would provide $1 million to improve the transfer rate of community college students to UC; $1 million to expand outreach efforts for graduate and professional school students; and $500,000 for research on the root causes of educational disparity in California.

Research Initiatives

The governor has made a major commitment to university research benefiting the state's economy by offering $75 million in capital funding for three California Institutes for Science and Innovation to be established at UC campuses. Each center would focus on scientific and engineering research in a sector key to the future of the California economy, bringing together faculty, undergraduates, graduate students and industrial partners to work in cross-disciplinary teams aimed at developing the next generation of knowledge in the field.

Specific sites for the centers would be selected based on proposals submitted by the campuses. State funding for the centers would be matched by private and federal sources.

The budget document also includes $8 million for UC to provide access for faculty and students to Internet2, a high-speed data transmission network.

Overall Operating Budget

The governor's overall budget for UC includes funding for an enrollment increase of 6,000 students, or 4 percent, consisting largely of "Tidal Wave II" students ã the Baby Boomers' children who are expected to swell UC's enrollment 43 percent by 2010. The budgeted enrollment increase for 2000-01 also reflects UC's efforts to increase enrollments in engineering, computer science and education credential programs in order to meet state workforce needs in these areas.

The governor's budget would provide state funding to avoid a 4.5 percent increase in mandatory systemwide student fees, which have not been raised since 1994-95. These fees, not including campus-based miscellaneous fees, would remain at $3,429 for undergraduates and $3,609 for graduate students.

The budget also would prevent an increase in professional school fees.

Other highlights of the budget include $6 million as the first step in a multi-year plan to strengthen the quality of undergraduate education at UC; a $26 million augmentation for deferred maintenance, instructional technology, instructional equipment and library materials; and funding for salary adjustments, including merit increases, for faculty and staff as part of a continuing effort to maintain competitive salaries.

UC also has requested state funding for summer instruction as part of an effort to expand summer course offerings, which are not currently state-supported. UC will work with the governor and Legislature this spring to address the policy and funding issues associated with the governor's budget proposal.

Capital Budget

In addition to the capital funding provided for the three research centers, the governor would fully fund the regents' $213 million capital budget. This capital budget includes 36 construction, renovation and seismic retrofit projects at the nine existing UC campuses, as well as $14.3 million for initial site development, planning and infrastructure at UC Merced.

February 2 - 8, 2000 (Volume 28, Number 20)
Copyright 2000, The Regents of the University of California.
Produced and maintained by the Office of Public Affairs at UC Berkeley.
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