CUCFA has posted a new working paper to the Keep California’s Promise site: http://keepcaliforniaspromise.org/?p=553
Executive Summary:
It is widely recognized that large reductions in state funding and sizeable increases in student fees have eroded quality and accessibility in California’s three-segment system of public higher education: the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges. But, until now, no one has estimated what it would cost – through restored taxpayer funding or tuition increases – to restore the system’s historic quality while accommodating the thousands of qualified students excluded by recent budget cuts. This working paper considers state funding, student fees and accessibility to answer three basic questions about the public higher education system in California :
#1. How much would it cost taxpayers to push the “reset” button for public higher education, restoring access and quality (measured as per-student state support) while rolling back student fees to 2000-01 levels, adjusted for inflation?
Answer: It would cost taxpayers $4.643 billion.
#2. Absent restoration of taxpayer support for public higher education, how much more would student fees need to be increased to restore the level of per-student resources available in 2000-01, at current enrollment levels?
Answer: UC fees would have to increase above currently approved levels by $7,398 (to a total of $18,948), CSU fees by $1,863 (to $6,756) and CCC fees by $72 (to $852).
#3. If the Governor and Legislature were to decide to push the “reset” button, – reinstating the quality and accessibility standards of the Master Plan by returning state support and student fees to 2000-01 levels, adjusted for inflation – what would it cost the typical California taxpayer?
Answer: It would cost the median California taxpayer less than $32.