At last month’s meeting of the UC Regents the board voted 15 to 0, with two absentions, to oppose Proposition 92, an initiative on the Feb. 5 state ballot that would establish a funding guarantee for the California Community Colleges.

The measure, known as the “Community College Governance, Funding Stabilization, and Student Fee Reduction Act,” would create a separate Proposition 98 funding guarantee in the constitution for the community colleges, as well as a separate enrollment growth formula. It also contains provisions to reduce student fees and alter the governance of the community colleges.

Meeting at UCLA, the Regents expressed strong support for the University’s vital partnership with the community colleges and for the continued importance of effective collaboration between the UC system and the two-year colleges on issues, including student transfers.

However, they also expressed concern that by increasing the Proposition 98 guarantee, presently limited to K-12 schools, the ballot initiative could leave less state General Fund money available for discretionary purposes, including programs such as UC and the California State University.

If approved by the voters, changing the funding formula would require a four-fifths vote of the Legislature. Under this formula, community college fees could very rarely be increased.

Citing the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Regents’ resolution noted that Proposition 92 “would require the state to spend more for K-14 education than under current law—an average of around $300 million per year” from 2007-08 through 2009-10.

Additional background on the measure is available at <www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/nov07/j2.pdf>.