SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On Wednesday, the California Legislature, unable to reach an agreement on Gov. Jerry Brown’s May budget proposal, approved a plan to close the state’s remaining $9.6 billion deficit.

The budget that passed both Houses on a majority vote will now go to the governor’s desk for review.

Although the California Community Colleges did not sustain additional cuts beyond the $290 million originally proposed in the governor’s January budget, the plan defers $129 million in funding which will increase the cumulative total of delayed state payments to $961 million, or roughly 17 percent of the system’s annual funding.

“The budget passed today falls short of our hopes for a balanced, long-term solution,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott. “I understand that lawmakers were required to get a budget out by June 15 and I am relieved that the community colleges did not incur cuts beyond the $290 million already proposed. However, the deferred payments and the Legislature’s inability to reduce the state’s ‘wall of debt,’ will be problematic for academic planning and may push some of our colleges to borrow money that will have to be paid back with interest.”

With statewide unemployment at 11.9 percent, masses of jobless Californians are enrolling in community colleges in order to access the training they need to return to work, according to Scott's office.

Additionally, students displaced from the University of California and the California State University systems due to restricted admissions are arriving at community college campuses by the tens of thousands to begin their higher education.

“Our colleges are attempting to meet enrollment demands but they cannot do so without sufficient resources,” said Chancellor Scott. “In 2009-10 we had to turn away 140,000 students due to course reductions. I will call upon our CEOs to provide access to as many individuals as possible but it’s extremely difficult when we are essentially asking colleges to live off of their savings accounts and credit cards.”

The demand for a community college education is continuing to outstrip resources. The California Community Colleges would have naturally grown by at least 5.5 percent in 2009-10. But instead, decreased funding caused the system to shrink by 4.8 percent.

If the governor signs the budget plan passed by the Legislature Wednesday, the California Community Colleges will have sustained more than $800 million in cuts over the last three fiscal years.

In the 2009-10 academic year, the system sustained $520 million in budget cuts which equated to 8 percent of its overall budget.

With the additional $290 million in reductions proposed for the 2011-12 academic year, it is estimated that at least 140,000 additional students will lose access due to further course section reductions and the elimination of some career training programs.

Enrollment at the California Community Colleges grew 44 percent over the last 15 years, yet per student funding in 2009-10 (adjusted for inflation) was lower than it was in 1995-96.

“I am aware of the gravity of the state’s budget problems,” said Chancellor Scott. “Community colleges can play a key role in California’s economic recovery but lawmakers need to understand that it’s time to come up with an honest solution and stop this unparalleled divestment in higher education that will hurt students and hinder the workforce for years to come.”