Horacio Genis
Knapp
English 2
10/09/12
Save Our Future
Over the last four years California’s
educational systems have been suffering a lot because of the budget cuts. In
California, every student’s education is in danger. For students in higher
education tuition every semester is rising and is making it harder for all of
those who want to continue their education in higher education. The budget cuts
also make it much harder for community college students to transfer to universities
and receive their degrees, for many programs in schools have been eliminated
over the past years. Some of these programs make a huge difference for students
to succeed in school and life. Our Governor Jerry Brown has a plan to save our
school from huge cuts. His plan is Proposition 30, which proposes to tax the
wealthiest and increase the sale tax. This proposition will prevent trigger
cuts to K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, state park rangers,
forestry and fire department, developmental services, as well as city police
department. As a Cabrillo College student struggling to continue my education,
I urge you to vote Yes on Prop 30.
If Proposition 30 is unsuccessful, it will
trigger billion of cuts to all of the public schools, community colleges, and
UCS, CSU systems. According to The Institute on Taxation and Economy Policy,
California’s K-12 schools will experience a $6 billion trigger cut making their
academic year three weeks shorter. California Community colleges will
experience a $550 million cut. The CSU system will experience a $250 billion
trigger cut. If prop 30 does not pass, the CSU system will increase its tuition
by five percent to most of the students, and the nonresidents will see a seven
percent increase hoping to raise $58 million to cover the loss. The cost per
unit will increase from $372 to $399. The UC system will get a $250 billion
trigger cut. Over the past four years, cuts have made it harder for many
students to continue in higher education. The failure of prop 30 will make many
students drop from schools and make it harder for the rest of them to continue
to their education.
Most of the money raised from the proposition
will come from increasing tax rates on the wealthiest. The Institute On
Taxation and Economy Policy states that, Prop 30 will increase the tax rate on incomes
above $250,000 per individual and from couples earning $500,000 for seven
years. Also a sale tax rate will increase by one-quarter of a cent for the next
four years, starting on January 1 2013. California’s base tax rate sale is 7.25
percent and it will increase to 7.50 percent; it is expected to raise $1.2 billion.
All of the money raised from the tax increase will continue funding schools and
programs that students need to succeed in schools.
The money
raised will continue funding programs in schools that most of the students use
to succeed and transfer to the university. Programs in Cabrillo College like
the Integrated Learning Center, The Writing Center, The Math Learning Center,
and EOP will continue open for students that need help with their homework or
financial help. These programs are so helpful for students like me, who are
learning English and have a hard time writing their papers. These programs help
a lot of students to pass their classes. I cannot imagine what would happen if
all of these programs close. We would not have a place to go for help with our
math and English homework. Many students will probably fail their classes and
not continuing their education. These programs make a difference for many
students to succeed and complete their education and graduate. It will make it
much easier for students to transfer to universities
. The economic situation at Cabrillo College has
already delayed my graduation along with many other students too. . Proposition 30 will decide whether students
continue their education. Here in Cabrillo College, tuition every semester
increases more and more for all students. For people like, me who don’t receive
financial aid, it much harder because we have to pay almost $600 dollars for 3
eleven units. Besides the high cost per units, many classes have been
eliminated and this makes it even harder to continue our education My concern
is if students will be able to receive their degree. The increasing costs of
tuition will prevent many students from graduating. I worry that I may not be
able to graduate at all and attend San Jose State University.
When I graduated from high school, I knew I
wanted to go in to health care. When I was just I little kid, I had a bad
experience that made me realize the importance of health care. I grew up in a
little town, in Puebla, México where health care resources are very limited,
and in our town, we didn’t have medical clinics for our people who got sick. My
grandpa, whom I used to see as a father, would get sick a lot because he had
lung disease. We would have to drive an hour to a town where they had a clinic.
Getting help for my grandpa was difficult because of the distance, money issues,
we didn’t have a car and we needed to ask someone from the town who had a car
to help us take him to the clinic. I decided to go into healthcare because I
believe it’s sad to see people not getting help when they are sick. My dream is
to become a health care provider and give back to my community. Probably go
back to my home town in Puebla and give community service to the needed. What a
shame if my dream does not happen because of the budget cuts that I will stop
me from completing my education in health care. The budget cuts will prevent
less people go into health care, an industry in demand.
Cutting resources will not make it possible for
today’s students to complete their degrees and fill the jobs of the future.
According to The Public Policy Institute of California, California is facing a
shortfall in supply of college-educated workers. Predictions of the state’s
economy show that the state will need an increasing demand for college-educated
workers, but the state will not meet this demand unless decision makers
implement policies that will affect College attendance and college graduation.
Hans Johnson in his article “Closing The Gap Meeting California’s Need for
College Graduate” states “Two strong forces are
already at work in constraining
California’s gradually increasing share of college graduates in
the working population: the retirement
of the large and relatively well-educated baby-boom
cohort—adults born between 1946 and
1964—which will occur over the next 20 years, and
demographic shifts toward groups that
have historically low rates of college attendance and
graduation” (1). The retirement of
the Baby-Boomers over the next 20 years is leaving a big gap of jobs open and
the demographics show that there will be less college graduates, not enough to
fill the gap left by the Baby-Boomers people who did not attended college and
graduate will fill the gap. Hans believes that by the year 2025 demographics
estimate that there will be 1 million few college graduated that are needed for
that year. He comments that only 35 percent of the working-age will have a
college degree in an economy that requires 41 percent of people to have a
college degree. The only way to meet the required percent is if college
attendance increases, community college transfer increases, and graduations
among four year universities increase. Voting on prop 30 will make it possible
for students to fill the gap of jobs the baby-boomers left behind.
Our schools have suffered a lot, and we can’t
let this continue to happen. We need to stop the cuts to make it possible for
students to continue in higher education. We want to have a strong economy and
better future for the next generation. By voting yes on prop 30, you will help
stop the increase of tuition and make it possible to afford to continue our
education. Many young people will stay
in schools and away from the streets to where danger is present. The billions
of dollars raised will help keep programs needed open for students and make it
possible for people to have a job.
Work Cite
Hans, Johnson.
Closing The Grap Meeting Californias’s Need for College Graduates. San
Francisco, 2009.Public Policy Institute of California. october.16.12.web
Bill Freeman.San Diego Union Tribute
Opinion-Prop. 30investing in education, economy. School & Local
Public Safety Protection Act.1st ed.N.p. n.d.Web.23,September,2012.
Blumenstyk, Goldie, “If prop 30 Fails, What Then?” Chronicle
Of Higher Education 58.44 (2012): 31. Academic Search Complete. Wed. 21
sep.2012.
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