Dear Commons Community,

The California public higher education system is facing massive reductions in funding if proposed tax increases are not enacted.  Entire programs and maybe schools may be closed according to an article in the New York Times.

“For generations, the University of California system — home to such globally renowned institutions as Berkeley and U.C.L.A. — has been widely recognized as perhaps the best example of what public universities could be. Along with the California State University system and the state’s vast number of community colleges, higher education options here have long been the envy of other states.

But after years, and even decades, of budget cutbacks from the state, that reputation is under increasing threat. University leaders, who had responded typically to earlier budget cuts with assurances that their institutions were still in top form, now are sounding the alarm. In trying to rally support, they openly worry that their schools do not offer the same quality of education as a decade ago.

“I’d be lying if I said what we offer students hasn’t been changed and that there hasn’t been a degradation of the learning environment,” said Timothy White, the chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, which has had record growth in recent years. Last year, plans to open a medical school on the campus were shelved after state budget cuts…

While no one is arguing that cutting higher education spending is a good thing, some say that the state budget crisis makes it necessary — and may provide an opportunity for needed changes.

Jon Coupal, the president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which strongly opposes the proposed tax increase, said the colleges should do more to show they are cutting spending, like reducing pay for top administrators or closing programs that do not directly benefit the state.

“We’ve had the luxury in prior years of heavily subsidizing colleges,” Mr. Coupal said. “But like anything in California, the delivery of higher education is not performance based. They’ve created new campuses and programs based on politics and not need.”

Chancellor White and others say the concerns about the budget cuts are beyond academic. For generations, the universities have been economic engines for the state, graduating hundreds of thousands of students each year. At every level, the universities are receiving more applicants than ever. But without more state money, colleges are struggling to find room for eligible students.

Nathan Brostrom, executive vice president of business operations for the University of California, said the system was now in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. In the last year, the state has cut $750 million from the system’s budget. This year, for the first time, the system receives more money from tuition than from state aid — but that only makes up for roughly a quarter of the cuts from the state. Over all, the budget is the same as it was in 2007, when there were 75,000 fewer students enrolled.”

It is a shame that California which truly was  the leader in public higher education in this country has now placed its colleges and universities in such a dire situation.  Many other states have already been down the road that California is going by essentially transferring much of the costs of public higher education from state funding to student tuition.  We wish them luck as they weather this crisis.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The Huffington Post has an article on the plan of the Koch brothers to donate tens of millions of dollars to Republican election campaigns.  Specifically they are strategising to spend as much as $400 million to defeat President Barack Obama and help Republicans win control of Congress.  These funds will be funneled into conservative-leaning groups for television ads and get-out-the-vote drives.  The article mentions:

“Three GOP fundraisers familiar with the plans of the billionaire Koch brothers and their rich friends told The Huffington Post that their donor network is expected to funnel this year tens of millions into conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. By spreading their wealth throughout the conservative ecosystem, the Kochs can exploit trusted brands with passionate followings that reach beyond the Tea Party base. These three sources all requested anonymity since they are not authorized to speak about the Koch donor network’s plans.”

This is exactly what is wrong with our cherished democratic system.  It has become a government influenced by the rich and greedy who hide behind SuperPACs, religious charlatans, and gun-toting fanatics.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The U.S. Department of Education freed eight states from core provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law earlier this week, bringing to 19 the number of states granted waivers this year, and officials said that even more states would soon qualify for them. The New York  Times reported:

“State officials have clamored in particular for relief from the federal law’s requirement that every student be proficient in math and English by 2014. The Department of Education waived that condition in exchange for an agreement by states to meet new standards — in a longer time frame — that Arne Duncan, the education secretary, says are tougher.

Critics of the 2001 law have long said that the universal proficiency requirement was both too vague — states set their own definitions for proficiency, and some set them quite low — and unattainable. In 2010, 38 percent of the nation’s schools failed to meet their benchmarks for annual progress toward the 2014 goal, and Mr. Duncan has warned that the figure could soar to 80 percent.

The law has been up for renewal since 2007, but Congress has been unable to agree on a new version.

So far, the department has not turned down any state’s request for a waiver, though it has negotiated the terms with states before granting them. Eighteen additional requests are pending.”

We congratulate the U.S. DOE for these actions but it needs to do more to eliminate the controls the federal government has been imposing on states and school districts.

Tony