SACRAMENTO -- For seven years, fees stayed the same at California's public universities.

But when state money started drying up, fees jumped 10 percent in 2002-03, then 30 percent, and Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing an additional 10 percent increase next year.

Schwarzenegger also wants a mechanism that would allow annual increases of up to 10 percent, with the increases tied to per capita personal income growth.

A legislative effort by Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, would have given students at state universities a one-semester heads-up before fee increases.

"It's only fair that students and parents know of these fee increases ahead of time," said Denham, whose district includes the University of California at Merced and California State University, Stanislaus.

"I don't believe we should put further hardship on students by surprising them or blindsiding them."

However, Denham's proposal, Senate Bill 786, failed on a 3-5 vote in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.

UC undergraduates would pay $5,482 annually, up from $4,984, under Schwarzenegger's plan to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed budget cuts in 2004-05.

In the California State University system, undergraduates would pay $2,251, up from $2,046.

Tuition hikes of 40 percent will be proposed for graduate students at University of California and California State University campuses, sources familiar with the governor's budget said.

The Education Committee gave Denham a victory on his SB 76, a measure allowing school districts to use nonteaching personnel to supervise students serving in-school suspensions.

The Ceres Unified School District is sponsoring the legislation.

"Watching over students while they do homework during detention does not require a teacher's credential," Denham said in a press release.