"The cost of attending California's community colleges will probably rise by 30 percent in the fall, after a legislative budget committee voted on Tuesday to approve a fee increase to help the state meet its gigantic budget deficit," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. "Community-college leaders had argued against raising the fees at all, but the amount of the proposed increase, from $20 to $26 per course credit, was far less than they had feared. The system’s tuition is the lowest in the country by a wide margin, and the state Legislative Analyst’s Office last week recommended tripling the fee in order to generate additional revenue and to take better advantage of federal student-aid programs."