Final Draft

William Drury

Instructor Knapp

English 1A

16 October 2012

Proposition 30 Provides Relief for California

The Great Recession has left staggering consequences for California. The state’s tight budget may not be able to uphold public education in California. Several school districts throughout the state are reducing their budgets to cope with the decaying economy. For instance, the Sonora Union High School District has lost nearly $1 million per year for the past five years, and they may not be able to meet their financial needs within the next two years (Swift). California’s debt remains a severe issue, and ignoring it may only result in more problems. However, one solution to California’s financial crisis is Proposition 30’s tax initiative. Proposition 30 will prevent California’s public education from plummeting. If passed, Proposition 30 will increase the tax rate on incomes above $250,000 per individual by 1 to 3 percentage points for seven years. Proposition 30 also calls for an additional tax increase on the state sales tax by a quarter of a cent for four years, which would generate about $1.2 billion a year. 89% of the tax revenues will feed K-12 schools and the other 11% will go to community colleges. On the other hand, if proposition 30 fails, the government will cut nearly $6 billion from the educational budget. K-12 schools will lose $5.5 billion, which will cut nearly three weeks from the school year, the California State University (CSU) system will lose $250 million, and the University of California (UC) system will lose $375 million. On top of educational cuts, the government is also threatening to reduce funds on public safety programs, such as fire safety.

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In order to prevent problems from cuts on K-12 schools, Proposition 30 must pass. With the failure of Proposition 30, K-12 schools will be forced to eliminate three weeks out of the school year. As a result of the shortened school year, young students will need care and somewhere to go when out of school. Some parents may not have sufficient funds to afford the costly rate of daycare, so parents will face troubles with relocating their children on dropped schooldays.  Also, by cutting three weeks from the school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District will shorten its school year to 155 days. Compared to other countries, the shortened school year will produce limited and mildly productive education. In particular, the following countries will have more public school days than California: China, 260 days; Japan, 243 days; Israel, 216 days; Nigeria, 190 days; France 185 days; and Bolivia, 160 days (Danziger).  With less education than students in other countries, California students may have less academic knowledge and may receive poor scores on standardized tests. With California’s low test scores, the United States’ status in academics may decline. Thus, Proposition 30 must pass to prevent the problems of unattended children and poor education from occurring.

Furthermore, the passage of Proposition 30 provides students with access to higher education. By Proposition 30 going into effect, CSU and UC schools will not be forced to restrain admissions. On the contrary, if Proposition 30 does not go into effect, CSU and UC schools will severely cut faculty, admissions, and staff. For example, the CSU system will reject 20,000 qualified students for admission, eliminate 5,500 class sections, and reduce 1,500 staff members (Rivera). Therefore, the average student’s ability to attend a CSU will be much more difficult. Also, UC schools are seeking to increase admissions from out-of-state students, which will hamper a native Californian’s chances of being accepted into a UC school. Because non-

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Californian students pay tuition of an additional $23,000 per year, UC officials are planning to raise the admissions of out-of-state students from 10% to 15% or 20% (Gordon). The increased admissions of out-of-state students will help solve budget issues, but because it decreases local admissions, it rejects the UC goal of educating Californians. Thus, with admissions possibly declining in both CSU and UC schools, students may face greater challenges of attending a university in California. Personally, due to recent budget cuts, I’ve recently been rejected to several UC and CSU schools. A professional college counselor stated that I had a likely result of being accepted into several UC and CSU schools, but because of class cuts and reduced admissions, most UC and CSU schools have rejected my admission. As a relief to educational cuts, Proposition 30 will provide sufficient funds for UC and CSU schools to sustain their classes, staff, and amount of admissions. Therefore, to facilitate students with attending college, Proposition 30 needs to pass.  

Moreover, Proposition 30’s tax revenues will help students afford tuition rates. If Proposition 30 fails, the UC system will possibly conduct a midyear tuition increase of 20% and the CSU system will raise tuition 5% next year (Rivera). Both UC and CSU tuition raises will require students to obtain more money to afford colleges. Some students are fortunate enough to receive money from their parents, but other students have to apply great effort to afford higher education. Personally, I have been struggling to afford college. During my final year of high school, I applied to Humboldt State University, which accepted my application. I really wanted to attend Humboldt State University, but because of increasing tuition rates, I could not afford to attend college there. First, I had to work full time for a year to pay for low rates of attending community college. Some of my peers have suggested to stay home and to simply attend to a

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local community college, which might allow me to afford housing. However, because my parents’ financial debt is forcing my family to move from a house to a small apartment, I have to now pay for housing on my own, even if I do attend a local community college. On top of unforgiving housing costs, I am struggling to keep up with prices of tuition and books. Even though I have worked full time for a year, I still need more funds to survive through college. Consequently, I have taken out student loans. The instant debt caused by acquiring student loans has dissuaded me from taking such action, but I am forced to undergo desperate measures to begin working towards my college degree. Because a college degree is a standard tool for success in today’s economy, I will continue to fight my through college expenses. However, if tuition rates again increase, I will be forced to overcome more distressing obstacles to eventually obtain higher education. Therefore, if CSU and UC tuition rates continue to rise, several California students, such as myself, may struggle to attain a standard college degree. In order to prevent potential problems from tuition increases, Proposition 30 needs to pass.

 

            Finally, the failure of Proposition 30 will leave California as a regressive state. Weak education, fewer admissions, and increased tuition may arise from the government’s harsh educational budget cuts. Opponents of Proposition 30 may declare that increasing tax rates on sales and the wealthy is unjust, but because the government threatened to make such severe cuts on the state budget, Proposition 30 needs to pass to maintain California upright. Proposition 30’s tax revenues will yield sufficient funds to sustain education and public safety programs. With a strong education, graduates may promote success into America’s workforce, which plays a significant role in the economy. California’s education remains a critical subject, for it nurtures

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the youth who will someday dictate California’s future. Personally, I believe that the slight tax increases provide a reasonable and affordable means to overcome California’s financial debt. The government cuts imposed by the failure of Proposition 30 will leave California plunging with more problems. Therefore, Proposition 30 must pass to maintain California’s survival.

Works Cited

 

1. Danziger, Dennis. "Governor Brown's Modest Proposal." Huffington Post. HuffPost Educatiion Group, 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis- danziger/governor-browns-modest-proposal_b_1915042.html>.

Dennis Danziger’s article details the effects of potential government cuts on California’s public schools. It lists details on a shortened school year. The article also compares the shortened to school year to other countries’ public school years. The article applies to the general public.

2. Gordon Larry.“UC regents weigh ugly options; ‘No Ideas are off the Table’ as leaders brainstorm ways to cope if tax hike fails.”Los Angeles Times 13 Sep. 2012: AA.1. National Newspaper Core. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

Larry Gordon’s article describes the University of California’s potential outcomes from the failure of proposition 30. The author lists details of the UC system’s plan of coping with the failure of proposition 30. Gordon’s article appeals to the general public, especially those interested in proposition 30. Gordon lists many quotations from UC Regents that describe the UC’s financial struggles. He limits personal analysis and insight but provides many facts. The article provides several facts that support the need for proposition 30.

3. Rivera, Carla. “Cal State to raise fees if tax hike fails; Trustees tentatively approve a 5% tuition increase for next year if voters in November reject Prop. 30” Los Angeles Times 19 Sep. 2012: AA.1. National Newspaper Core. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

In her article, Carla Rivera describes ways in which the UC and CSU system will cope with budget cuts. The article lists facts on tuition increases and reduced admissions, classes, and facukty. Rivera’s article applies to the general public, and it centralizes on those involved with California’s public education. The article remains a valuable source for informing people on the effects of the failure of Proposition 30.

4. Swift, Brenna. "School Initiatives Explained." Union Democrat. Western Communications, Inc., 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.< http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local- News/School-initiatives-explained>.

Brenna Swifts article of “School Initiatives Explained” lists many facts on the outcome of the failure of Proposition 30. The article explains how public schools in California will have to adjust to severe budget cuts. Swift explains how particular school districts, such as the Sonora Union High School District, have dealt with recent budget cuts. The article applies to the general public.