California approves $200 mn education stimulus funds
By IANSFriday, September 17, 2010
LOS ANGELES - Cash-strapped universities and colleges in California will get more than $200 million in stimulus funds that will allow many campuses to admit new students, restore courses and retain faculty and staff, a media report said Friday.
The University of California (UC) and California State University will each receive $106 million and the California Community Colleges will receive $5 million in one-time funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Xinhua reported quoting the Los Angeles Times.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget includes about $371 million in restored funding.
UC campuses will probably use the stimulus funds to retain faculty and support staff, said Patrick Lenz, UC vice president for budget and capital resources.
Last school year, the university took a cut of $637 million in state funding, laid off about 2,000 employees and left 1,600 jobs vacant, Lenz said in remarks published by the paper.
This fall, with the state budget still not finalized, campuses have dipped into their reserves to the tune of about $189 million to provide student financial aid, and some stimulus funds may be used to backfill that support, Lenz said.
