Proposed Ballot Measure Would Create California University Online
Sacramento, CA — California voters may be asked in November whether to create a new University of California Online, which would be in addition to the UC, CSU and community colleges.
Those other schools already offer some form of online classes, but the new entity would be solely virtual. The proposed new public university would have a pair of divisions. One would provide credits toward an academic degree for paying tuition members, and the other would provide free courses to the public, not for academic credit.
The cost for the tuition would be based on how much they cost to operate, and there would be increased fees for out-of-state enrollees.
The proposed measure, a constitutional amendment, filed by Boyd Roberts of Southern California, states, “Operating a new public online university could cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to low billions of dollars annually. All of the cost is to be covered through student tuition revenue generated by the new university. The measure is not intended to have any direct fiscal impact on state or local governments.”
The proposal calls for the State Treasurer to issue some form of bonds for the University of California Online with the intention that they will be repaid with tuition.
Supporters of the plan have filed the needed paperwork and can now go out and collect the required signatures to place the measure on the ballot.
