Not Faustian, Not a Bargain

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s compact with the state’s two university systems -- which would go forth with some hard cuts this fall but promises of increased funding over the next seven years -- is not the deal with the devil that was seen by a few Democratic lawmakers. It does, however, raise questions about California’s vow to educate all qualified students. And it amounts to a promise, not a contract, a distinction that will be bad news if the state budget keeps coming up short.

The agreement contains things to like, at least in the short haul. It brings more sanity to the transfer process, with the three systems of higher education -- the University of California, the California State University and the community colleges -- aligning their classes so courses at one school are credited at another. Also, Cal State has agreed to offer more sections of the courses that students need to graduate -- but often can’t find spots in -- even if it has to cut down on the esoteric classes that professors enjoy teaching.

The plan, assuming the state has the money to make good on it, will provide the schools with enough funding to increase enrollment at a steady clip. That means there would be no repetition of this spring’s letters telling thousands of academically qualified high school seniors to spend their first two years in community colleges.

The hikes in student fees of 14% next year and 8% in each of the two years after that aren’t pleasant, but they are realistic. The schools are still a bargain, even compared with other states’ university systems. However, afterward the deal would allow fee increases of 10% yearly until 2010-11.

The two university systems hold this out as a boon to families, saying it makes future college costs more predictable. Yes, indeed. Many families will quickly predict that there will be no way they can afford it. By the end of the seven years, if the maximum is charged each year, UC would cost close to $10,000 in basic fees, about double the present level. That doesn’t count additional campus fees or room and board. Californians’ salaries certainly aren’t going up 10% a year. The pressure to keep the increases high would be constant -- especially since campus employees would continue to pull in guaranteed annual raises in the area of 4%.

California students need a promise of better state support and more cost controls. UC plans more financial aid, but that will only put additional force on the schools to raise fees for everyone else. Then, for reasons different from those of this spring, some of the state’s most qualified students might again be shut out of California’s elite university system.