Despite the fact that a revision to Gov. Gray Davis’ budget for 2002-03 cuts University of California funding by $162 million, tuition rates will not rise during the next academic year.

Davis released a revision of his January budget proposal Tuesday, calling for higher taxes and reductions in state spending in order to make up for a $24 billion shortfall in the state’s $100 billion budget. The revision proposes substantial reductions, but avoids across-the-board cuts to the UC’s core instructional program.

The proposal would not increase mandatory systemwide student fees, making 2002-03 the eighth consecutive year they have failed to rise. According the latest revision, next year’s total UC budget will be $3.2 billion, down from the $3.4 billion Davis proposed in January, according to UC Office of the President spokesperson Brad Hayward.

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Changes to the budget include the addition of $5.4 million to enroll 600 more students than Davis’s January budget allowed for, resulting in a total enrollment growth of 7,700 students next year. The UC requested the additional funding in response to the high volume of fall 2002 applicants.

The revision also proposed a $28.4 million cut in state funding for K-12 outreach programs. This reduction, coupled with the $4.2 million cut proposed in January, would result in a 40 percent reduction from the current budget in state funding for UC outreach programs.

“The proposed budget affects outreach programs systemwide and would eliminate several of our outreach programs,” said Joe Castro, UCSB Executive Director of Campus Outreach Initiatives. “We don’t yet know exactly how this will affect outreach since things could change as the Legislature reviews the governor’s proposal.”

Outreach representatives from UCSB are planning to talk with their colleagues on the other UC campuses and with the UCOP to find ways to mitigate the cuts with outside funding.

“We do receive substantial funding from foundations, companies and the federal government, and will look to them for help as well as other partners and the K-12 schools themselves,” Castro said.

The proposal also includes a one-time cut of $29 million from the University’s $150 million budget for equipment, library materials, deferred maintenance and instructional technology. Davis indicated that this funding would be restored in the 2003-04 fiscal year.

Also included in Tuesday’s revision is a $32 million, 10 percent cut in state funding for UC research programs. The proposal would give UC the authority to reduce spending on individual state-funded research initiatives by between 6 percent and 30 percent.

The governor also proposed an addition of $16.8 million to the UC capital improvements budgets for facilities projects at UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine.

The complete text of Davis’ revision is available online at <www.dof.ca.gov> .