Budget Act to give CSU and UC more funds

Senate Bill 15 seeks to provide $57 million to expand California State Universities and the University of California. The expansion would include the hiring of more teachers, as well as more guidance counselors.

Lawmakers say the demand is high for college level education and hiring more faculty should allow schools to take on more students.

Senator Marty Block of San Diego says they’d like students out of class and into the workforce in acceptable time frames, “The whole goal of SB 15 is to get students four year degrees in four years. What a concept! Right now, it’s taking students 6 or 7 years in many cases to get a four year degree.”

University officials say the bill would close the gap between the jobs in California that require a Bachelor’s degree and the number of working adults who have a Bachelor’s degree.

Says Block, “It gives the workforce a whole new pool of qualified workers earlier; they come out now instead of waiting two additional years. If they go two extra years to school they lose about $150,000 in potential earning and also the cost of going to school those extra two years.”

The bill is currently in suspense until Thursday. A bill is considered “in suspense” if it seeks to appropriate more than $150,000 in funds.