The month of May 2011 now has a front runner for Donkey of the Month: UC tuition might jump 32% if tax proposal fails, official says
UC President Mark G. Yudof tells regents that this fall's 8% tuition increase may be dwarfed by an additional 32% midyear hike if Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for tax extensions is not approved.
Reporting from San Francisco -- University of California officials warned Wednesday that the 8% tuition increase UC students already face this fall may be dwarfed by an additional 32% midyear hike if Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for tax extensions is not approved.
Calling the idea a "nasty scenario," UC President Mark G. Yudof said the university must be prepared in case the proposed tax extensions are not approved and state funding for the 10-campus system is cut $1 billion next year, double what it would be otherwise. "It's not desirable. But people have to understand the grave consequences to this university," Yudof said at a UC regents meeting in San Francisco.
Basic tuition for UC undergraduates who are California residents is scheduled to rise 8% to about $11,100 this fall, not including room, board and other fees. Yudof promised that the university would not seek a midyear increase if its reduction in state funding remains, as it now stands, at $500 million. The additional 32% hike would bring tuition to about $14,800 a year and surely spark student protests.
The threat of such an increase is partly intended to influence debate in Sacramento. This week's news that state revenues may come in $6.6 billion higher than anticipated may hurt Brown's chances of winning the Republican support he needs for the tax extensions, analysts said. And while Brown's revised budget, released Monday, called for about half of the expected windfall to go to public elementary and high schools, none of it would go to UC or Cal State.
The regents also heard economic projections beyond the coming school year. Depending on various scenarios of state support and enrollment growth starting in fall 2012, UC financial experts said tuition may have to be raised from 8% to 20% annually for four consecutive years. But the regents emphasized that no decisions were yet being made.
Meanwhile, Yudof said he hopes to expand the university's financial aid program with additional grants to students from middle-income families. For the coming school year, under UC's existing plan, many students with family incomes of up to $80,000 are expected to have their tuition covered through federal tax credits and state and federal aid. Under Yudof's proposal, the income threshold would rise to $90,000 for the following year. And in an effort to help the next tier of households, families that earn up to $120,000 may be able to receive grants covering half of tuition, he said.
It's stuff like this that really gets me burning. We already have an 8% increase coming to UC students and now Yudof floats the idea of increasing tuition another 32% on top of that.
Yet, he wants to push most of that onto the US tax payer by raising the threshold for federal aid and student grants. Are you kidding me?
Here's what the Donkey of the Month candidate is not telling you. Pay for UC professors and administration types is out of control. Using the following website: State Worker Salary Search , I was able to look up Yudof's 2009 pay and the highest paid people for each UC Campus. Here are some interesting results of just the top paid people in the UC system:
UC UCOP: John Stobo: Senior VP Designate: 2009 Compensation: $705,787
UC UCOP: Marie Berggren: Treasurer of the Regents: 2009 Compensation $637,824
UC UCOP: Mark G. Yudof: President of the University: 2009 Compensation: $577,561
UC Berkeley: Jeff Tedford: Head Football Coach. 2009 Compensation: $2,338,409
UC Davis: Jan Paul Muizelaar: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $747,368
UC Irvine: Robert F Steinart: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,018,202
UC Los Angeles: Benjamin Clark Hawland: Head Coach: 2099 Compensation: $2,135,188
UC Los Angeles: Ronald W Busuttil: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,782,045
UC Los Angeles: Richard J Shemin: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,399,208
UC Los Angeles: Richard Neuheisel: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,311,706
UC Riverside: Dean Stewart: Dean: 2009 Compensation: $358,471
UC San Diego: Stuart Jameison: Professor-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $964,530
UC San Francisco: Timothy Mccalmont: Professor of Clin-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,902,464
UC S.F.: Philip E. Leboit: Professor of Clin-Medcomp-A: 2009 Compensation: $1,854,158
U.C. Santa Barbara: Finn Kykland: Professor-ACAD: 2009 Compensation: $402,696
U.C. Santa Cruz: George Blumenthal: Chancellor: 2009 Compensation: $307,277
I really wish I had the time and space to list everyone in the UC system that makes in excess of $200,000, it's quite staggering. If you thought policemen and firemen had it good in California, and they do, UC system pay is as good if not better.
Here's why Yudof is in the running for Donkey of the Month for May 2011!
No where in his comments did he recommend salary cuts to help balance the UC system finances. If everyone at the UC system making over $200,000 took a 20-30% cut in salary would they not still make a very large income? YES. I would argue they would still make more working for the UC then they could in their field of expertise in the private employee market. It only seems logical based on simple math that pay levels at the UC System need to come done.
Furthermore, it's only in their self interest that Yudof promotes an increase in federal aid and student grants. It's the Fannie Mae of student funding. If no one has any skin in the deal and the UC system can pass off the cost and/or rising costs to the US tax payer via federal funding it only serves the best interest of those employed by the UC system who continue to make great pay, pay that has been rising and is above a free market pay scale for their talent.
Lastly, no where in Yudof's comments were there comments about protecting the best interest of California tax payers. He did not explain why a California tax payer should continue to pay higher taxes to support the UC system nor did he explain why Californians US tax dollars should go to support more student aid, which in turn supports outrageous pay within the UC system.
Why are state tax payers being asked to maintain higher tax levels or consider higher taxes to support a bloated UC system? I ask Mark G. Yudof, "What's in it for the tax payer?" The math doesn't work!
I say let him increase rates another 32% and then cut federal funding of grants to the UC system by 50%. Let's see how a free market economy for the UC system works. I'm guessing Yudof took economics in college, and I'm sure he knows if you take away the federal punch bowl demand for the UC system craters and salary levels would naturally have to some down based on the imbalance of supply and demand. It's simple math and Econ 1 in a free market, but Yudof isn't going to share that little tidbit!
Complete nonsense from Yudof and easily a Donkey of the Month candidate for May 2011!
Hope all is well.
