If the California State University were the state's only public higher education system, the recent news of pending enrollment cuts, as well as the high number of incoming freshmen who are unprepared for college-level work, would be much worse.

The news is tempered by the fact that CSU is part of a greater whole, and the largest part of it the community college system is finally getting some respect from the state governor's office.

Proposed state budget cuts to CSU (a $300 million reduction that will likely be reduced by a $100-million increase in student fees) are forcing officials to grapple with the question of quantity versus quality. Fortunately they are leaning toward quality. The system plans to enroll 20,000 fewer students next year to avoid worse alternatives, such as overcrowding and reducing classes, which would degrade the quality of education while shutting enrolled students out of classes they need to graduate.

Meanwhile, there are still large numbers of unprepared freshmen entering CSU that can, and in many cases should, be directed to community colleges to prepare for university work. According to CSU figures released this week, just 63 percent of incoming freshmen scored at or above proficiency levels in math, and in English, just 53 percent are considered proficient. Only 42 percent were proficient in both math and English. CSU will not meet its 2004 proficiency goals, and the 2007 goal of 90 percent proficiency is highly ambitious.

If, because of budget cuts, the system can't handle all its incoming students, and many of them are not ready for university level work anyway, directing a portion of them toward community college makes the most sense. In the 2000-2001 year, more than 75 percent of students rejected from CSU for low test scores enrolled in community colleges, and most stayed.

Importantly, the state's community colleges appear to have an ally in the governor's office for the first time in several administrations. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposes increasing community college funding by 4.4 percent, or $211 million. It is the state's first step toward equitable funding for community colleges after years of treating them like unwanted stepchildren. Consider that Gray Davis had proposed mid-year community college funding cuts of $285 million and an additional $530 million for the next fiscal year; in that context Schwarzenegger's budget amounts to a billion-dollar reversal.

Schwarzenegger seems to recognize that community colleges are a valuable resource which can, among many other important functions, give unprepared students the remedial classes they need to succeed at a university. The colleges also educate students at less cost than a CSU or UC.

No one should celebrate any loss of higher education funding. But when CSU cuts can be offset by additional funding for the community colleges, the redistribution could work in favor of students and the state's bottom line.