Universities vs. prisons budget proposal raises eyebrows

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Universities vs. prisons budget proposal raises eyebrows
By TERENCE CHEA
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - It's an idea any educator would like: California's governor wants to ban the state from spending more on prisons than universities.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to change the state constitution to guarantee funding to the University of California and California State University systems has been enthusiastically endorsed by the state's higher education leaders.
But the measure faces opposition from the powerful prison guards' union and state lawmakers wary of more budget constraints. And critics say it could compromise public safety and worsen the state's already dysfunctional budgeting process.
The governor's proposal, unveiled during his final State of the State address Wednesday, is aimed at boosting funding to UC, which has 10 campuses and about 220,000 students, and CSU, which has 23 campuses and about 450,000 students.
The state's dire budget crisis has prompted deep budget cuts to the universities that have led to steep tuition increases, faculty furloughs, enrollment cuts, reduced course offerings and rowdy campus protests.
State funding for UC and CSU, which made up 14 percent of the state budget 30 years ago, now makes up about 6 percent, according to the state Postsecondary Education Commission. Total higher education spending, including funding for the state's 110 community colleges, accounts for roughly 12.5 percent.
Spending on corrections, which comprised less than 4 percent of the budget 30 years ago, has grown to 10 percent, according to the commission, as California's prison population mushroomed under tougher sentencing laws.
The governor's plan would guarantee that UC and CSU receive at least 10 percent of the general fund budget, while the state's prisons would get no more than 7 percent.
'Not healthy'
"What does it say about a state that focuses more on prison uniforms than caps and gowns?" Schwarzenegger said Wednesday. "It simply is not healthy."
The funding shift would begin during the 2011-12 fiscal year and be fully in place by 2014. The proposal would bar the early release of prisoners and give the governor the authority to suspend the funding limits during a fiscal emergency.
The measure would need to be approved by a majority of California voters. But it first needs to get on the ballot, which requires approval by two-thirds of the Legislature, or the signatures of hundreds of thousands of voters.
The proposal represents a major shift in funding priorities for Schwarzenegger. Since he took office in 2003, spending on UC and CSU has fallen 10 percent to $5 billion in 2009-10, while spending on corrections has increased 56 percent to $8.1 billion, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office.
Schwarzenegger wants to reduce prison spending mainly through the privatization of prison operations and services, with an emphasis on inmate health care. California spends $50,000 a year for each inmate, about $18,000 more than the next 10 largest states, according to the governor's office.
"We believe a better mix of private and public staff could provide proper health care to inmates at a reduced cost to the state," said Gordon Hinkle, press secretary for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
168,000 inmates
California currently houses about 8,000 of its 168,000 inmates in private prisons in other states. Another 5,000 inmates are in private prisons in California. The state is fighting a federal court order to reduce the population of its 33 adult prisons, which are at nearly double their designed capacity.
University leaders say the funding guarantee would put UC and CSU on a solid financial footing and allow them to maintain access, affordability and academic quality.
But critics say it is another case of "ballot-box budgeting" that would make it even harder for lawmakers to pass a budget, and it could force cuts to other state services that aren't constitutionally protected.
"It's a very simplistic solution to a very complex problem," said Sen. George C. Runner Jr., R-Antelope Valley. "I believe the first priority of state government is to keep people safe. To cap that certainly doesn't make any sense to me."
Others are skeptical the state could significantly reduce prison spending through privatization to meet the constitutional mandate.
"If you look at privatization of prisons and how it has played out over the years, there are no cost savings," said Ryan Sherman, a spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
The union and governor have been battling for most of his administration over the union's once-lucrative contract and influence on prison operations. Union leaders this week sent legislative leaders their own proposals for savings and reform.
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