Education Schmeducation - Perspective on CA's crisis
source: http://blog.plugintodan.com
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- afitzgerald
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Finally: a step in the right direction toward bringing public higher education in California out of the gutter.
The Governator last week proposed significant legislation calling for a reshaping of priorities, so that California will "never again" spend more on prison uniforms than on caps and gowns.
It will not alleviate the sunshine state's education crisis immediately. But as long as we’re spending more on kids than criminals, we can all sleep a little better at night. Right?
Cuts to public education in this state have caused both outrage and outcry -- near riots at UCLA, "Save the CSU" protest rallies in Long Beach.
No one likes paying more for less, yet that's exactly what many of California's college students have been faced with in the last year.
A former Cal State student myself, I managed to escape (graduate) just as things went south. But I can't imagine what my friends and former classmates are experiencing right now.
So much for paving the way for future generations, eh?
California's public universities have been giving students and teachers fewer days of school to save precious funding through "furlough days."
All this while cutting programs, increasing class sizes and raising tuition as much as 15 to 35 percent.
Today’s students are now burdened with a whole new set of pressures.
And I’m not talking about final exams.
Living on your own? Finding a career? Paying off student loans?
Naw. How about making sure the courses you need to graduate are still being offered? Unlucky freshmen may even find their majors dissolved before they make it to upper division.
Skeptics will write this off as too little too late. But at this point, almost anything is a good thing.
Keep it coming Arnold.
A few links:
Reshaping Priorities from Prisons to Universities (PDF)
Latest state info: http://gov.ca.gov/
Join the California Education Crisis group on Current.
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- groups:
- Community, News_Featured, Education Crisis, California Prisons
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- tags:
- Education, California, Los Angeles, Prison, 14 more
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jaystyx
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I am glad that I am graduating soon. The cost of attending public universities across the country is rising as states pass on more of the expenses to students. I have not seen any drop in the quality of my education, but every semester I have to pay more for the same product.
- 3 years ago
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jaystyx
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ryan8566
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jaystyx:
which on a cost/effective ratio is a decrease, no?
- 3 years ago
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ryan8566
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samthesixth
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Why is it the governor's fault and not the legislature's fault?
- 3 years ago
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samthesixth
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dan_ucko
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samthesixth:
Sam -- I didn't mean to imply it's the governor's fault. But it is his responsibility to find a decent solution for this massive problem. I could still use more specifics than more money than is being spent on prisons. How about lobbying for some sort of education bailout?
- 3 years ago
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dan_ucko
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samthesixth
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samthesixth:
Dan,
I am with you on the crisis as my younger cousins are feeling it personally. I think though that it is the legislature's responsibility to come up with solutions (i.e. draft and pass legislation) and the governor's responsibility as the executive to implement what the legislature passes.
- 3 years ago
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samthesixth
