A statewide budget crisis has forced a project designed to connect California's schools with high-speed, high-bandwidth Internet networks to scale back.
The Digital California Project, whose goal is to bring the next-generation Internet2 to California public schools, faces a $1.1 million reduction under Gov. Gray Davis' proposed $21 billion in statewide budget cuts.
With a budget shortfall that could surpass $30 billion, Davis recently proposed a 2003-2004 budget that includes one of the deepest education cuts in the state's history -- a $5.2 billion reduction in K-12 funding over the next 18 months.
If Davis' plan is passed by the legislature, state-funded education technology programs like the Digital California Project will likely be slashed. But that's just the tip of the iceberg for the state's schools, which could experience everything from layoffs to reduced teacher training if cuts are approved.
"Education is bearing the large brunt of the burden of these cuts," said Patrick Kennedy, assistant director of statewide initiatives for the Digital California Project. "Almost every program has been cut back. At this point, it's a question of how much."
On Wednesday, nearly 300 teachers from across California will converge on the State Capitol to lobby their local assembly members and senators to protect classroom funding. The California Teachers Association wants lawmakers to spare schools from the budget knife wherever possible.
Davis' recent budget cuts reverse his previous efforts to safeguard education. In 1999, near the end of the state's dot-com boom, the governor sought mid-year increases for education.
Digital California's $1.1 million funding reduction is the latest in a round of budget cuts that have slashed the project's initial budget from $32 million to $20 million, Kennedy said.
But the project has weathered cutbacks reasonably well, compared to other education programs in the state, Kennedy said. The latest cut won't affect the project's initial goal of connecting the state's 58 counties to Internet2, the high-performance research and education network previously reserved for universities. However, this reduction will force the project to trim its efforts to connect individual schools and districts.
"Much of the groundwork has already been laid," Kennedy said. "When the budget crisis came, we scaled back to our original goal."
So far, Digital California has connected 55 counties and expects to add two more later this year. To pursue its goal of wiring individual schools, the project will try to get funding from federal grants, Congress and private foundations, Kennedy said.
Education technology in higher education may also suffer statewide cutbacks.
Davis has proposed nearly $300 million in new cuts to state funding for the University of California.
"Everyone around the university is trying to do more with less these days, and technology is certainly a part of that," said Brad Hayward, spokesman for UC's Office of the President.
Instructional technology funding is part of the University of California's basic funding requirements through its partnership agreement with the governor. But budget cuts have stalled funding for this technology on UC campuses over the past several years. Last year's budget slashed instructional technology funding by about $7 million, Hayward said.
"Under the governor's budget, 2003-04 will be the third year in a row that we haven't received the planned-for increases in funding for instructional technology," he said. "While there haven't been huge cuts to this area, the need is far from met. We're now about $30 million below where we need to be for adequate funding of instructional technology."
The governor's budget could also affect online Advanced Placement programs, by cutting these programs by $4.4 million over the next year.
California isn't the only state facing severe budget cuts that may threaten education programs.
According to a recent Education Week report, 38 states have cut or frozen their budgets this year.
But many states have sheltered K-12 education from direct cuts. Although New York faces a $2 billion deficit and Massachusetts faces a $297 million deficit, both states have spared elementary education spending from the chopping block, according to the report.
Despite budget cuts, insiders believe California will continue to invest in technology programs to stimulate the economy.
"Investment in technology has paid off in the past," said Kennedy of Digital California. "Nobody is going to be spared, but I don't think we're going to see massive cutbacks in technology investment and infrastructure."
