COMMUNITY COLLEGES. FUNDING.
GOVERNANCE. FEES.
Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

THE QUESTION

Should the California Constitution be amended to formally recognize a community college system with separate funding formulas for public schools (K-12) and community college districts?

THE SITUATION

Proposition 98, adopted by California voters in 1988, required that the state provide a minimum level of funding each year for elementary and secondary schools (K-12) and community colleges, which together are called K-14 education. This requirement is met by using both state General Fund and local property tax revenues.

In recent years, community colleges have received between 10 and 11 percent of the total Proposition 98 funds allocated to K-14 education. This accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total $8 billion spent on community college programs throughout the state; the remaining third comes from other sources, such as student fee revenues and federal funds. Student fees are currently set at $20 per semester unit.

THE PROPOSAL

Proposition 92 would:

• formally establish the community college system as part of the state’s public school system and specify the composition and powers of its Board of Governors;
• require minimum levels of state funding for school districts and community college districts, appropriated separately using different criteria and calculations;
• allocate 10.46 percent of the current Proposition 98 school funding maintenance factor to community colleges; and
• reduce community college fees from $20 to $15 per unit, with limits on future fee increases.

FISCAL EFFECT

According to the California Legislative Analyst’s office, Proposition 92 would increase state spending on K-14 education from 2007-08 through 2009-10 by an additional $300 million annually, with unknown impacts annually thereafter. The reduction in community college student fees from $20 per unit to $15 per unit with future limits on increases would result in a potential revenue loss of about $70 million annually.

WHAT A YES OR NO VOTE MEANS

A YES vote means that the state Constitution will be amended to formally recognize a community college system with separate funding formulas for K-12 schools and the community colleges, and that community college fees will be reduced to $15 per unit for the foreseeable future.

A NO vote means that the existing laws and formulas regarding community college funding, fees, and governance would remain unchanged.

SUPPORTERS SAY

• Proposition 92 doesn’t raise taxes. It lowers community college fees to $15 per unit, limits future fee increases, and stabilizes funding.
• A full-time community college student costs less than half what the state spends on a California State University student, and one-third of what the state spends on a University of California student.

OPPONENTS SAY

• Proposition 92 locks huge new spending into California’s Constitution with no way to pay for it, other than taking from K-12 schools and other programs.
• It contains no accountability and no guarantee that the funds will reach students in community college classrooms.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

PRO  (916) 444-8641, Yes on Proposition 92, www.prop92yes.com

CON  (916) 218-6640, Californians for Fair Education Funding, www.noprop92.org

For more information from the League of Women Voters and others, see Smart Voter on Proposition 92.

The League of Women Voters of California is a nonpartisan organization committed to informed and active citizen participation in government. All citizens, men and women, of voting age are welcomed to join. The League has two roles, citizen education and advocacy. Our election services are carried out by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (LWVCEF) and exclude all advocacy.