Cooper, Jacqueline
English 2
T/Th, 12:40
California’s budget is in crisis and Jerry Brown
thinks he has the solution. The state debt (recent estimates by The New York Times say $28 billion)
often makes headlines but California voters (who seem to categorically
oppose tax hikes) have rejected the last 8 proposed tax increases. Meanwhile
schools have suffered continuous cuts to funding, leading to increased tuition
costs and reduced course offerings for community colleges and larger class
sizes and less staff for k-12 schools among other hardships Jerry Brown proposes a solution in the
form of Proposition 30, which will prevent further cuts to education by a instating 4 year .25% sales tax increase and a 7 year income tax increase for
California’s wealthiest earners. The passage of Prop 30 will make a world of
difference for California’s schools.
If Prop 30 does not pass, a pre-approved package of
‘trigger cuts’ will go into effect on January first 2013, automatically cutting
another 5.4 billion dollars from grade schools and community colleges. If Prop
30 does pass it is estimated that it will earn $6 billion a year for 4 years.
This money will be set aside for education and public safety (including
education in prisons and supervision of parolees) and will free up some of the
state’s general fund that was being used for education.
The
passage of Prop 30 would help ease the financial burden for California’s
schools. If the proposition does not pass community colleges like Cabrillo will
lose an additional 7.3% in funding, which will mean losing space for 780 full
time students at Cabrillo. That means less young people and community members
will be able to further their education and more people will be locked out of
opportunities for career advancement. More cuts will affect the educational
opportunities of almost a thousand people in our area alone, and similar
repercussions will be felt all over the state. With previous budget cuts we
have already seen restrictions placed on community college students regarding
course attempts, fewer classes being offered, less tutoring and support staff,
reduced hours and tuition increases. This illustrates that less funding means
more obstacles to student success. If we continue to cut funds from education,
we are setting up our students and children for failure and California will
continue to fall further behind in education.
California
is one of the most expensive states to live, and most voters are opposed to
paying more in taxes when they are already struggling financially. However, the
tax burden of Proposition 30 will be minimal for the majority of voters. The
sales tax will increase by only ¼ of a percent, or one penny for every $4.00.
The income tax increase will only affect the wealthiest 3% of California residents
(individuals earning over $250,000 or families making over $500,000), raising
their income tax by 1-3% for seven years. It is in everyone’s best interest to
make education accessible, and California’s wealthiest tax payers have the
means to do just that.
As a long time community college student and daughter
of a long time public school employee I have experienced and witnessed the
increased budget cuts and the hardship it creates for students and
administrators. These past two semesters I have been unable to register for
courses that are required for me to transfer due to over enrollment, and I have
had no choice but to prolong my stay at community college for an additional
year. I have also spent time volunteering at the public elementary school where
my mom was office manager and seen how teachers are overwhelmed by increasing class
sizes and decreasing funds as well as how my mom had to struggle to complete an
ever increasing workload with less help and less hours. Our public schools
cannot get by with less than they already receive, and voters need to recognize
that.
Many students like me
who live away from home and pay for school out of pocket will find it difficult
to continue their education if California continues to cut school funding to
make room in the budget. Many students may find it impossible to pay
for school with more tuition increases. More students will struggle to complete
their required classes due to limitations on attempts and classes being cut,
increasing the time spent in community college and the time it takes to
transfer or graduate. Without more funding for education, California will see a
decrease in college graduates and by extension a decrease in the standard of
living. Those who can’t afford college will have to forgo an education or leave
the state to obtain an affordable education, creating a ‘brain drain’ for
California. Even those who don’t attend school or don’t have children who
attend school will suffer if Californian voters don’t decide to make education
a priority, because California’s economy will suffer.
There is another
proposition to fund education on the ballot alongside Proposition 30. Proposition 38
proposes to fund education by raising income tax on a sliding scale for all
Californians earning over $7,316 for 12 years. Some of the funding earned would
go to education and early childhood development and some would go to paying off
state debt.
Unfortunately both measures cannot pass since they both involve raising income
tax, and the proposition with the most ‘yes’ voted will take precedence if both
propositions pass. Proposition 30 is the better choice because it doesn't raise
income tax on lower income Californians and the money will be allocated specifically
for education and public safety.
Those opposed to Proposition 30 argue that it is
unfair to tax the wealthy at a higher rate. It is unlikely that the 1-3% tax
increase on those earning more than $250,000 a year will create a life altering
burden for the wealthy. The benefits of keeping education available outweigh
the costs of a meager tax increase on the rich.
California voters
should support Proposition 30 because it is the best course of action to take
to protect California’s education system. Without a properly funded education
system California’s citizens will be unprepared for higher education and the
workforce. Fewer people will be able to earn college degrees and secure
well-paying jobs. If Proposition 30 passes the tax increase will be slight for
most Californian’s and those who can afford it will pay their fair share. And Proposition
30 is supported by the people most affected by it, including California
Teachers association, Academic Senate and California Faculty Association.
Works Cited
Walsh, Mary W. "California Debt Higher Than Earlier Estimates, a Task Force Reports." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/us/california-debt-higher-than-earlier-estimates.html?_r=0>
Kelly, Erika. "Prop. 30: Taxes for Schools and Public Safety." The California Report. KQED Public Radio, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201210030850/a>.
"California Proposition 38, State Income Tax Increase to Support Education (2012)."Ballotpedia. Lucy Burns Institute, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_38%2C_State_Income_Tax_Increase_to_Support_Education_%282012%29>.
Barns, Brooks, and Ian Lovett. "Californians Face Rival Ballot Initiatives That Would Raise Taxes and Aid
Schools." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/us/californians-face-competing-tax-increase-propositions.html?_r=0>.
York, Anthony. "Gov. Jerry Brown Formally Kicks off Prop. 30 Tax Hike Campaign." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/16/local/la-me-brown-taxes-20120816>.
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