State's misspending could deprive thousands of college

June 1, 11:34 PMLA Headlines ExaminerTad Cronn

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Arnold Schwarzenegger

The budget cuts sought by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would put college out of reach for hundreds of thousands of young Californians, education officials warned a legislative committee Monday.

Diana Fuentes-Michel, director of the Student Aid Commission, said the governor's plan to get rid of Cal Grant aid would keep more than 200,000 out of classes during a time when there are few jobs to be had.

"If these students cannot afford to attend college, they will face the worst job market in decades," she told a committee that is trying to eliminate the $24.3 billion budget deficit.

Karen Humphrey, of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, urged scaling back rather than eliminating Cal Grants, perhaps lowering aid to private school students and raising the GPA needed to qualify.

Schwarzenegger wants to cut $2.75 billion from higher education in the next fiscal year and an additional $173 million by eliminating new Cal Grants.

California State University Chancellor Charles Reed said the cuts to the 23-campus system were the equivalent of shrinking enrollment by 60,000.

"That is impossible," he said.