FEE HIKES HAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS, OFFICIALS WORRIED.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Higher education officials reacted with concern to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal, noting that a lot could still happen before a final budget is signed.

``This is like preseason practice and the Super Bowl will be played in July,'' said Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system. ``The governor will sign the budget in July and the game is over.''

Robert C. Dynes, president of the nine-campus University of California system, said he understood the governor has to make tough choices to confront the state's budget deficit.

``But it also should be understood that these cuts, coming on top of deep previous budget cuts, would have a very serious impact on the University of California and its tradition of providing a top-quality, accessible, affordable education for Californians,'' he added.

Schwarzenegger unveiled his proposed budget Friday, which includes $372 million in cuts for the nine-campus UC system and $240 million to the CSU system.

In addition, undergraduate students at the UC and CSU schools would see a 10 percent fee increase and graduate students would see a 40 percent increase.

Currently, resident undergraduates pay $4,984 per year to attend UC schools, and $2,046 a year to attend CSU schools. Graduate students currently pay $5,219 at the UCs and $2,256 at the CSUs.

``I'm very worried about a 40 percent fee increase for our graduate students,'' the CSU's Reed said. ``Most of our graduate students are working to complete their teaching certificate, and that could adversely affect the production of teachers. We graduated 17,000 teachers last June - about 60 percent of the teachers in the state.''

Jennifer Kelley, 32, of Santa Clarita agreed. The flight attendant and mother of three is returning to graduate school at California State University, Northridge, to earn her teaching credential and was dismayed to hear that Schwarzenegger was proposing such a steep increase for graduate students.

``To be an elementary teacher, you've got to do the post-graduate work, you've got to get your credential,'' she said. ``And then when you go into the profession, you don't make that much. People might decide to do something else, because (fees are) just too expensive.''

Schwarzenegger's proposal also recommends redirecting 10 percent of incoming classes, or 4,200 CSU freshmen and 3,200 UC freshmen, to the community college system, through a dual-admission program that would waive the students' community college fees.

Community college students will see their fees increase from $18 a credit hour to $26, a 44 percent increase. Students who already have bachelor's or higher degrees would pay $50 per credit hour.

But the budget recommends a $211 million increase for the $6 billion community college system, no changes to the fee waiver program and funding for a 3 percent enrollment growth.

California Community College Chancellor Mark Drummond and Tom Nussbaum, the former chancellor, described the budget as a ``partial recovery budget'' for the colleges, in the wake of last year's steep budget cuts.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com