Schwarzenegger Again Vetoes Part-Time Health Insurance

As you have probably heard by now, the Governor signed the state budget today.

In addition to vetoing the $13.8 million in non-credit enhancement funding (which he approved last year), for the second year in a row he vetoed the augmentation for part-time health insurance.  Had this item passed, our District would have received approximately $120,000 in additional revenue.  Although this veto will not prevent us from continuing to offer a fully funded health benefits package to our adjunct faculty and their families, had it passed it would have allowed our currently allocated funds to stretch further.

Below is the Governor’s veto message on this item:

“I am deleting the one-time augmentation of $4,000,000 from the Proposition 98 Reversion

Account for the Part-time Faculty Health Insurance Program because this program was

established as an incentive grant program to encourage additional district investments in

benefits for part-time faculty. However, these programs were not intended to require additional

one-time or ongoing contributions from the state. Given the significant general purpose

increases provided in this Budget for community colleges, I believe that districts have sufficient

resources to provide additional benefits to part-time faculty at their discretion.”

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  See further information regarding the budget from Constance below.

In Unity,

Jim

From: “Constance Carroll” <ccarroll@sdccd.edu>

Date: August 24, 2007 4:25:46 PM PDT

Subject: STATE BUDGET SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; VETOED ITEMS NOTED IN LEAGUE UPDATE #12

STATE BUDGET SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

 August 24, 2007

TO:                  Chancellor’s Cabinet, DGC, and Others

FROM:            Constance M. Carroll, Chancellor                             

The Governor has just signed the state budget.  The final budget has both good and disappointing features.  

The best news is that the COLA of 4.53% was approved in the budget, as recommended by the legislature.

The Governor blue-lined the enhanced funding for “Career Development and College Preparation” noncredit FTES, stating that more information and accountability measures are needed.

The Governor also blue-lined the additional funding for basic skills, presenting a similar concern about lack of accountability.

These decisions mean that the system has much work to do in the area of developing acceptable accountability measures.  The Noncredit Districts’ Caucus will also focus on this need during the coming year.

For the SDCCD, it means that we will have a well-planned but very tight budget, without additional flexibility that might have come to us with new appropriations.  It was prudent that we did not include any projections of increased revenue in our planned budget, with the result that we do not have any adjustments that need to be made as a result of the Governor’s line-item eliminations.

The League’s budget summary is attached. Click on the web link to the twelfth League Budget Update focused on the Governor’s veto action related to community colleges.

http://www.ccleague.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3320