BERKELEY – Demonstrators were out early on Thursday leafleting and picketing ahead of a rally and march on the UC Berkeley campus to protest the crisis in education funding from the state.

The budget deal up for a vote in Sacramento on Thursday sets aside $5.5 billion for the University of California and California State University systems, more than previous budgets.

Administrators praised a funding increase that means money to restore classes that have been cut and hire professors.

But the protest organizers criticized what they see as a shell game since the money pumped back into state universities comes at the expense of K-12 education and the community college system.

“The governor is giving us money back, that is true. But the way he did it is not the right way to do it,” said sophomore Marco Amaral.

The political science major noted that students will still pay 32 percent more for their education, and administrators have said the money in this year’s budget will not insulate students from even more fee hikes next year.