Photo courtesy of the Associated PressGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to veto any state budget that does not provide additional funding to higher education, reported the Associated Press.
Schwarzenegger met with a dozen top administrators and student leaders from the various higher education systems in California. The meeting marked the 50th anniversary of California's Master Plan, which greatly expanded the affordability and accessibility of higher education to California residents. The budget cuts now have a gun to the head of the Master Plan, and have all but pulled the trigger.
Schwarzenegger has proposed a $224 million increase in general fund spending to higher education, reports the AP, and has threatened to reject any budget from the Legislature that does not award this money.
"If anyone tries to tinker around with that particular area of my budget, I will not sign the budget," he said in the AP article. In January, the Republican governor proposed a constitutional amendment to set the state's general fund spending at a 10 percent minimum for the UC and CSU systems, it is currently at 7.5 percent.
Over the past five years, students in the UC and CSU systems have suffered an increase of over 60 percent in student fees, according to the AP. Both systems - which combine to serve 3.5 million students each year - have also reduced enrollment, cut courses, and instituted faculty furlough days and pay decreases as a result of budget cuts.
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