Finally, students, parents, faculty and administrators are coming to the right place to confront the governor and lawmakers about the state’s eroding commitment to higher education – and public education in general.
It is the governor and lawmakers who have set state spending and taxing priorities, which have made deep budget cuts to California’s public colleges and universities.
On Thursday, expect thousands from K-12 schools, community colleges, state universities and the University of California to descend on the Capitol for an “Educate the State” rally to protest 32 percent fee increases (not gradual, predictable increases that families can prepare for) and cuts to instruction and access.
The timing is right during this 50th anniversary year of the Master Plan for Higher Education. That 1960 plan made a commitment that “all Californians should be afforded the opportunity to receive a college education.” It made California a national model. And for a generation, the 1960 Master Plan delivered prosperity to the state and a higher standard of living for residents.
But a gradual, steady decline in state funding for higher education over the last 30 years has diminished that promise. The state has drifted, without any deliberate choice of policy, toward quasi-privatization – increasing student fees and private funding from individuals, corporations, foundations and the federal government.
The energy and activism on the campuses since September have already gone far in dispelling myths and widening awareness about higher education in California. Most students do not come from privileged backgrounds. They see a bleak job market and wonder how they will pay for a college education. Training beyond high school remains essential to upward mobility and opportunity for a new generation, where the marketplace demands flexibility and a wide range of skills.
To date, students have hosted seminars on the history of public education in the state and the financing of public colleges. A handful of students have engaged in vandalism at some marches and rallies, but the overwhelming majority are engaging in the long American tradition of protest – and even civil disobedience.
The reality is that the state faces a deep economic downturn, a structural budget deficit and a politically polarized governor and Legislature.
With Thursday’s rally, students, parents, faculty and staff can elevate the public conversation on the challenges facing higher education. They can press legislators to reclaim public education as a top priority in California, a nonpartisan goal.
They also can send a strong message about where they are willing to make sacrifices to make California a better place in these difficult times.
Welcome to Sacramento, home of the people’s house, your state Capitol.
What You Can Do
Thursday’s “Educate the State” rally will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the west steps of the Capitol.