Members of the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee were expected to take a closer look at $42.6 million that accumulated in a Transportation Department special fund for more than 15 years and went overlooked during lean budget times at City Hall.

The committee is nearing the end of a series of meetings to review the mayor’s $7.7 billion budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. As part of that review, the panel will examine how the transportation fund went untapped for years and whether other such funds may exist.

The ongoing budget crisis in California has necessitated major academic reform on every level of education to save money and eliminate debt. As a result, some schools have been forced to lay off faculty, eliminate various courses, scale back on financial aid, and retool curriculum guidelines.

Recently, two separate protest rallies led by the students and faculty of Long Beach State (CSULB), and Long Beach City College (LBCC), were held in response to proposed cuts of various class offerings and academic programs.