(Image Credit: IMAGN) California Governor Gavin Newsom at the Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion prior to the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump held at CNN's studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024.
SACRAMENTO, California — Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to allocate $20 million in funding to the California College of the Arts (CCA), a small private college in San Francisco, faced opposition from Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday. All four members of the education finance budget subcommittee voted against the funding request, raising concerns about prioritizing a private institution while recommending cuts to public universities.
The CCA, which serves approximately 1,280 students, recently received $45 million in donations, half contributed by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. In contrast, Newsom’s budget presented for January includes an 8 percent funding cut and over $200 million in deferrals for the University of California and California State University systems.
Assembly Education Chair Al Muratsuchi criticized the optics of funding one private college while cutting funds for public institutions. Muratsuchi stated, “From an optics perspective…for us to be singling out one private college for $20 million in taxpayer support is not a good look.”
However, some lawmakers expressed support for the proposal. State Senator Scott Wiener, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, voiced his backing, citing the need to counteract threats to federal education and science funding.
The subcommittee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full Assembly budget committee, which will finalize priorities as lawmakers work towards passing the state budget in June. A revised budget proposal from Newsom is expected in May. Amanpreet Singh, from the Department of Finance, described the funding proposal as “unique.”
Founded in 1907, the California College of the Arts offers various undergraduate and graduate programs, with tuition priced at $60,000. The college has experienced a 42 percent decline in enrollment over the past five years, resulting in a financial deficit. President David Howse told lawmakers that the proposed funding would go towards hiring staff and repairing infrastructure, declaring CCA a “private institution with a clear public impact.”
Despite the challenges facing CCA, some legislators indicated their preference for prioritizing public education in the funding process. Assemblymember David Alvarez remarked on the Assembly’s commitment to public institutions, emphasizing the smaller deficit at CCA compared to the proposed $20 million funding request.
The struggles of CCA are not unique, as other arts schools in San Francisco also face similar challenges. Last year, the San Francisco Art Institute declared bankruptcy, burdened with $20 million in debt before being acquired by a nonprofit led by Laurene Powell Jobs.
State funding for private colleges in California is rare, with recent instances including a $50 million allocation to Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and a $5 million appropriation for the California Indian Nations College. Legislative staff indicated that previous funding efforts had clear statewide relevance, suggesting skepticism around this new proposal.
