Gov. Gray Davis has agreed to restore $32 million of the $98 million in funds he cut from the state budget in July that had been earmarked for library materials, instructional equipment, and building maintenance at California community colleges.
“Given the expected budget shortfall in the next fiscal year,” Davis wrote in a letter accompanying the funding bill he signed October 15, “if we do not make difficult decisions on expenditures for maintenance and equipment today, we will need even more drastic reductions in instructional programs tomorrow,” according to the October 16 Los Angeles Times.
In July, the governor revealed a spending plan called for community college cuts amounting to 20% of the amount removed from the state budget approved by the legislature earlier this year. Davis rejected legislation in May that would have increased spending by $20 million for libraries and maintenance at the colleges.
California Community Chancellor Tom Nussbaum, who applauded Davis, said each of the state’s 72 districts will receive some money, the Times reported.
Posted October 22, 2001.