Cuts to Fresno State’s impending budget could stop in November if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative is passed, Provost William Covino discussed in a forum Wednesday.
Revenue generated by student fees has reached an all-time high, Covino explained. Student fees now account for 51 percent of Fresno State’s budget. Forty-nine percent is allocated to the school by the state. For the first time ever, Fresno State’s student fees now account for more than the state’s allocation.
The California Sales and Income Tax Increase Initiative would include increasing the state income tax levied on annual earnings more than $250,000 for seven years, increasing the state’s sales and use tax to 7.5 percent, and allocate this revenue to local schools and colleges.
University of California President Mark G. Yudof expressed his support for the tax initiative in March to the L.A. Times saying “In my view, it represents the best opportunity I’ve seen in my four years in California for the state to clamber out of a sinkhole of fiscal uncertainty and move forward into a better, more prosperous future.”
If Brown’s tax initiative fails to pass, then schools will lose funding, and Fresno State will take a $10.5 million cut in funding once again, Covino said.
“We are prepared for cuts,” Covino said. “We will be fine for next year, but we will have to open up the discussion of what we will do next.”
Covino said Brown’s initiative passes, schools will see a growth in funding by 4 percent per year, which would be used for staff and faculty salary increases.
The tax initiative is currently collecting signatures, and if enough signatures are collected, then voters can vote on the measure in November.
“No one is excited for the budget challenges we are facing,” Covino said. “In the face of all these challenges, the faculty and the students are still doing great things.”
At the forum, Covino also recognized several departments on campus for their accomplishments.
The Department of Linguistics was recognized for receiving a patent on its voice recognition software, as well as their new program to preserve the Chukchansi language.
Covino also announced that the Henry Madden Library had received $150,000 dollars to create a Web portal that would show the culture and history of water development in the Central Valley.
The School of Continuing Global Education will also be opening a passport center on May 1, where students will be able to get discounted passport photos.
“The quality of the passports will also be discounted,” Covino joked. “Maybe next we could open a DMV on campus.”
Jokes aside, staff and faculty were worried about the looming threat of more budget cuts.
“Last year was a very tight budget,” said a female faculty member who wishes to remain anonymous. “We had to offer large class sizes and cut assigned time for professors. There is no relief for us.”
The new tax initiative didn’t make the staff feel any less uneasy, though.
“It doesn’t mean more funding,” she said. “It just means no more cuts. The faculty has had to sacrifice a lot. But we will continue to survive because the faculty is dedicated to the students and we love it.”