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    Trims of UC Budget May Total $162 Million



    Gov. Gray Davis' revised budget proposal this month called for a net reduction of $162 million in the University of California's budget to help address a shortfall of almost $24 billion in the state's nearly $80 billion General Fund budget.
    Under this proposal, UC's state-funded operating budget would total $3.2 billion in 2002-03, and still avoid across-the-board cuts and reductions in core instructional programs. The May budget also proposes no increase in mandatory systemwide student fees for the eighth consecutive year, and it maintains the governor's original proposal of an average merit increase of approximately 1.5 percent for eligible faculty and staff, subject to applicable collective bargaining requirements.
    Hit heaviest in the revised budget proposal are systemwide outreach programs for both K-12 grades and their teachers; research programs; and equipment, deferred maintenance, and library materials.
    Joe Castro, UCSB executive director for outreach initiatives, said the planned cuts would eliminate state funding for three campus outreach programs entirely and "drastically cut" another. Potential savings would be "in the neighborhood of $1.2 million to $1.5 million."
    Especially troubling, he said, is the proposed funding elimination of the School-University Partnership Program. It "strikes at the core of the long-term partnerships we've developed throughout the Central Coast," said Castro. "It's really a devastating proposed cut." Another program losing state funding is ArtsBridge, which has provided more than 200 UCSB students opportunities to advance knowledge of the arts among Santa Barbara school students.
    Details on the revised budget are available on-line at <www.dof.ca.gov>.
    "The proposed reductions are, of course, very disappointing," said Larry Hershman, UC vice president for budget. "The state is facing an extremely serious budget problem, and we know that the University must play a role in the solution. In that context, we do appreciate the governor's protection of funding for core instructional programs, student enrollment growth and merit increases for faculty and staff."