Education vs. Prison Spending

University leaders on Wednesday lauded California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to shift state money from prisons to higher education, but some experts warned the proposal is just bad budgeting.

In his State of the State address, Schwarzenegger proposed a constitutional amendment that would guarantee at least 10 percent of the California budget for the University of California and California State University systems, gradually scaling back prison funding to reach that number. Both university systems have raised student fees more than 30 percent in the past year while limiting access because of deep budget cuts.

About 7.5 percent of the state general fund is now devoted to the universities, the governor said, far less than the 13.4 percent they received in 1967. Almost 11 percent of the state's $90 billion budget is dedicated to prisons, Schwarzenegger said. Data from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office show slightly different figures: 9.6 percent for prisons and 5.9 percent for universities.

READ MORE:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_14136001?source=rss