Students for California's Future: News

February 15th - March 7th, 2010

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Rep. John Garamendi: Students in California March Today, I Stand With Them - Students at public universities in California are planning a series of demonstrations across the state protesting tuition hikes today. While a few isolated incidents in recent weeks have provided fodder for some in the media to dismiss their concerns, the students' cause is incredibly important. If we continue to yearly raise tuition in California far beyond inflation, we threaten to derail all that has enabled my home state to prosper in decades past. Huffington Post

Angry Students Protest Cuts to Schools, Colleges - Anger over rising tuition and school budget cuts boiled over as students across the country staged rowdy demonstrations that led to clashes with police and the rush-hour shutdown of a major freeway in California. Associated Press

Students Protest Cuts to Higher Education Funds - Student activists in California and elsewhere took to the streets Thursday in a national day of protest against rising fees and dwindling services in public higher education, drawing attention to a wave of tuition hikes, budget cuts and furloughs at colleges and universities across the country. Washington Post

Education Funding Demanded in 'Day of Action' - Thousands of students, teachers, janitors and other school employees crowded campuses, civic centers and roads Thursday in a massive show of force against education budget cuts. Silicon Valley Mercury News

Protests Rock College and High School Campuses - Hundreds of students stormed out of classes and staged a noontime rally Thursday at Sonoma State University to protest recent budget cuts and steep tuition fee hikes they say are eroding the quality of their education. Press-Democrat

Thousands Rally on Campuses, Streets for Schools - Gathering for a series of feisty rallies on college campuses, in civic plazas and in the streets, thousands of protesters lashed out Thursday against the budget cuts and neglect that they say are breaking down the state's public education system. San Francisco Chronicle

As Public Education Goes, So Goes California - How appropriate that, as one of the biggest education protests in history unfurled across the state, California's application for a Race to the Top school reform grant was rejected by federal officials. Could there possibly be a louder wake-up call? Silicon Valley Mercury News

Students Protest Cuts to Higher Education Funds - Student activists in California and elsewhere took to the streets Thursday in a national day of protest against rising fees and dwindling services in public higher education, drawing attention to a wave of tuition hikes, budget cuts and furloughs at colleges and universities across the country. Washington Post

Rowdy Protests Target Funding Cuts at UC Campuses - Students staged raucous rallies to protest education funding cuts on college campuses nationwide Thursday, but some demonstrations got out of hand as protesters threw punches and ice chunks in Wisconsin and shut down a major freeway in California during rush-hour traffic. Associated Press

Campus Activism Across the State of California - On March 4, protesters all across California left classrooms and took to the streets to advocate for support to public higher education. The Daily Californian

Day of Action on the Peninsula: Students Protest Cuts to Education - Though they didn't close campus access roads or shut down a freeway, throngs of students at Peninsula community colleges, high schools and even middle and elementary schools chanted, rallied and made it loud and clear Thursday that they're fed up with education funding cuts. Silicon Valley Mercury News

Who Asked Us? - Young People on Budget Cuts and Their Futures - On March 4, young people, parents and teachers in more than 30 states marched to protest budget cuts to public education. The demonstrations were particularly widespread in California, where massive budget cuts have crippled elementary schools, high schools, community colleges and universities. New America Media

California's Public Education System in Peril - Students and faculty from California's public education systems rallied throughout the nation yesterday in protest against State government budget cuts that will result in student fee increases and layoffs. LA County Social Policy Examiner

County's Colleges See Mass Protests - College students staged mass demonstrations yesterday on campuses across San Diego County to rail against fee increases and funding cuts that they say strike at the heart of California’s higher-education system. San Diego Union-Tribune

High School, Community College Students Rally Before Arrival of UC Berkeley Activists - Students from high schools and community colleges throughout the East Bay congregated in Frank Ogawa Plaza outside Oakland City Hall in support of the March 4 Statewide Day of Action. The Daily Californian

Coalition Plans 'Day of Action' at UCSD - Recent racial tensions have added weight to efforts to draw attention to the state of the University of California system, said an organizer of today's rallies planned at UCSD as part of the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. La Jolla Light

Thousands to Protest Education Cuts in Calif - Thousands of students and educators are expected to demonstrate at public schools and colleges across California to protest cuts in education funding. Silicon Valley Mercury News

State's Higher Education System is Worth Fighting For - and we will - Sometimes I think there are two Californias out there. One of them is the California of small things and small thinking. It's the California that is obsessed with petty anti-tax politics. The one that wants to gut social programs and dismantle our public higher education system. It thrives on driving wedges between us and promoting divisiveness. Sacramento Bee

Calif. Unions Step Up Opposition to Public Education Gutting - Students and workers in California’s public schools—K-12 and higher education—will protest against deep budget cuts on Thursday, March 4. In These Times

SDS Builds for March 4 Education Rights Protests - Students across the country are mobilizing for a nationwide protest against tuition and fee hikes and in support of staff and faculty facing pay cuts and layoffs. Tens of thousands of students and workers across California participated in demonstrations and building takeovers in November. They were protesting the University of California Regents proposal to increase already skyrocketing tuitions. Fight Back News

Education Protests on Tap This Week in California - The protests, teach-ins and walkouts that swept through University of California campuses this fall are scheduled to come back this week. But this time the activism is moving beyond UC – to include Cal State, community college, and K-12 campuses – and beyond California to other states as well. Sacramento Bee

Schools in State Fired Up Over Day of Action - The upcoming Day of Action to Defend Public Education - rallies, marches, teach-ins, even political theater - began as an idea on the UC Berkeley campus last fall and has caught fire up and down California, from elementary school to graduate school, and across two dozen states. San Francisco Chronicle

Tallying Cuts and Costs - More rallies are planned for next week to protest the budget cuts in higher education and the resulting layoffs, furloughs and fee increases. Here are some numbers — from state and nonprofit sources — that describe education in public schools and colleges. New York Times

To Help UC, First Slow Boat at the Top - Students, educators and administrators from across the state will descend on the state Capitol on Thursday for an "Educate the State" rally. The aim is worthy: to promote the value of higher education to the state and protest rapidly increasing student fees, fewer courses and larger class sizes. Sacramento Bee

Class Cuts, Fee Hikes, Furloughs Plague Schools - Students at Cal Poly and Cuesta College are facing fewer course offerings because of state budget cuts. San Luis Obispo Tribune

New Bill Proposes Limits on Fee Spikes - The days of unexpected fee increases may soon be at an end. California Senate Bill 969, also known as the California College and University Fee Stabilization Act of 2010, would put an end to large fee increases and cap the amount students are required to pay for education. The Orion

California Colleges, Universities Need New Plan for 21st Century - It was as much a peace treaty as a plan, and it was built around a pledge: Every Californian would get a fair shot at a taxpayer-supported college education. Sacramento Bee

Access to College: A Promise to Keep - Finding the pathway to college can be tough. That’s why students stand a better chance when parents and family members help them in the planning for university admission. This planning must start as early as middle school. At this early state, students should enroll in challenging classes that prepare them for college. Black Voice News

State University Officials Take Case to Washington - These days, it's cheaper to go to prison than to college. Your price for a year in the slammer? Free. California foots the bill, shelling out $49,000 a year per prisoner, close to $11 billion a year, said California State University Chancellor Charles Reed at a press conference here Wednesday. Scripps Howard Foundation Wire

No More Cuts, Say Stanislaus Students - Students at California State University, Stanislaus joined in the nationwide Day of Action to support education on Thursday, but not with the kind of rowdy, highway-blocking affairs seen in Davis and Berkeley. A crowd of 300 walked out of classes to gather at the CSU Stanislaus quad for an Education “unFair” to argue for increased funding and an end to the ceaseless cycle of cutbacks. Turlock Journal

Educators, Students in Fresno Protest Budget Cuts - Thousands of students, faculty and staff Thursday staged marches and rallies in Fresno and throughout the country to protest budget cuts that have crippled public education. Fresno Bee

CSUS Students to Defend Public Education - Public education advocates will take to the streets and campuses across the state Thursday for a Day of Action, designed to highlight cuts to schools from kindergarten through college. The Modesto Bee

Skidmore Rallies for College Students in California - The University of California's Board of Regents met last Thursday and approved a plan that will raise the cost of undergraduate tuition 32 percent next fall. This has sparked debate from both students of California Universities as well as students from other institutions showing support. Skidmore News

Delta Students Protest Skyrocketing Fees - Eduardo Cornejo works a warehouse job in the summer so he can attend San Joaquin Delta College the rest of the year. Cornejo, 19, wants to be a math teacher. But the numbers don't add up in his favor if Delta and community colleges across California increase fees next fall to $40 a unit - double where they stood at this time last year. Recordnet.com

Protests Under Way at Community Colleges - Walkouts are taking place this morning (March 4) at Canada College in Woodside and Skyline College in San Bruno as part of a statewide protest against budget cuts to education. The Almanac

State Analysts Speculate Possible Fee Increases for Community Colleges - The 53.8 percent increase would have tuition at $1,200 for a student taking 15 units in two semesters, compared to the current $26 per unit fee that adds up to $780 per year for two 15-unit semesters. The state Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) said in a new report that lawmakers could increase community college fees up to $40 per unit without greatly affecting enrollment at the schools. Student Voice

Community Colleges Lose Students to Budget Cuts - State leaders expect California's community colleges to enroll slightly fewer students this year, despite a record number of high-school graduates and staggering unemployment. Silicon Valley Mercury News

Community Colleges Must Share in Higher Education Recovery - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants California to get its priorities straight. Over the last three decades, the state's investment in universities has eroded while prison spending has shot through the roof. It's "out of whack," says Schwarzenegger. Los Angeles Times

StudentActivism.net has been posting "Day of Action" updates. Visit http://studentactivism.net/ for the latest news and information about the fight to increase investment in education across the nation.

Students for California's Future: News

February 8th - 14th, 2010

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Potential oil tax to benefit California higher education draws mixed reactions - California higher education officials have watched with mixed feelings as a potential oil severance tax -- which may in the end provide funding for state colleges -- has made its way through the Legislature. Contra Costa Times

Stand up for California's Children and America's Future - I am a native Californian. I was brought up by generations who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. They were people of modest means who dreamed of a better future for their children and grandchildren, and they knew that education was the key to that future. I attended public schools in California and then was privileged to attend the University of California at Davis and the University of California at Santa Barbara. I have had a wonderful life and my education was the key. San Francisco Chronicle

Guest Post: A Missed Opportunity to Stimulate Change in Higher Education - In its first days, the Obama administration made two bold moves affecting higher education. One was declaring that the nation would regain world leadership in college attainment by 2020. The other was pushing through the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the stimulus), which to date, has pumped an estimated $6.5 billion into the nation’s public colleges and universities. As administration officials look back on their first year, they need to consider the possibility that the stimulus may end up doing little to advance the president’s goal and may even frustrate progress toward it. New America Foundation

Florez calls for college fee caps - Another Valley lawmaker wants to limit fee hikes at state colleges and universities, where steep increases have fueled protests. Fresno Bee

UC supporters swell to nearly 300,000 strong; large rallies planned - Working to combat a steep slide in state support for higher education, advocates for the University of California are planning large rallies in Sacramento this spring to persuade lawmakers that public higher education should be a funding priority. UCLA Today

Students sharpen attack on UC costs with satire - It's been a seriously dramatic year at the University of California, where hundreds of students seized buildings, demonstrated and shut down regents meetings last fall to protest rising tuition and the perceived privatization of the public school. San Francisco Chronicle

Less prison spending means more CSU funds - The governor recently proposed an amendment to the California Constitution that would cap spending on prisons and raise higher education funds. This proposal is in addition to a budget that will return millions of dollars to the California State University system. The Orion

Funds freed; San Marcos, SDSU can add classes - A rare bit of good budgetary news has administrators at San Diego State and Cal State San Marcos preparing to spend millions of dollars in federal stimulus money on additional classes. Union-Tribune

Bills shed light on CSU spending - How universities spend money has become a major topic of concern for students, faculty, staff, and taxpayers within the state of California due to the recent budget crisis. Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) is attempting to bring a greater sense of transparency and accountability to California's public institutions of higher education with Senate Bill 330 and Senate Bill 650. Golden Gate XPress

Fewer classes, high enrollment burdens college - Many City College students have been struggling to enroll in impacted classes and teachers are overworked due to a large number of Spring 2010 course cuts. City College cut 379 classes this semester and 330 during fall 2009, according to Terrance Hall, dean of instruction at City College. The cuts were implemented to grapple with the school’s $18 million to $20 million budget shortfall. The fall and spring cuts amount to about 6 percent of total classes offered. The Guardsman

Our View: CCC system may offer 4-year degrees - Marty Block, San Diego State University professor, dean, and director turned Assemblyman is proposing a bill that would allow some California Community Colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing and other “high demand” subjects. “For the first time, in more than a decade, [SDSU] has said they will not admit all CSU qualified freshmen,” Block said, “So somebody has to provide them with that educational access.” Daily 49er

District prepares for worst - Following the release of the governor’s mid-year budget proposal, district administrators remain wary and are preparing for any potential losses. As the final budget has not yet been passed, nothing is certain. “There’s been a variety of proposals for cuts, but everything is very much up in the air,” Contra Costa College Vice President Carol Maga said. “The governor would like to keep as much funding as possible for the community colleges.” Accent Advocate

Students for California's Future: News

February 1st - 7th, 2010

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Proposed federal budget will increase financial aid funding by $300 million for 2011 - President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 will increase funding for financial aid programs compared to this year. The Daily Californian

With federal stimulus money gone, many schools face budget gaps - Federal stimulus money has helped avoid drastic cuts at public schools in most parts of the nation, at least so far. But with the federal money running out, many of the nation’s schools are approaching what officials are calling a “funding cliff.” New York Times

State bills reintroduced , aim to make CSU and UC records open to public - State Sen. Leland Yee, (D-San Francisco), reintroduced two bills Jan. 5 that will bring greater transparency to the state of California’s public higher-education institutions, require foundation records to be open to public inspection and will also seek to protect whistleblowers in the Cal State University/University of California systems. Daily Titan

Proposed oil tax divides education leaders - An East Bay lawmaker wants to tax oil pumped from the California ground and give the proceeds to colleges and universities, but the proposal has run afoul of the very people it was supposed to help. Assembly Bill 656 initially would have taxed companies 12.5 percent for oil and gas extracted from the state. The money would have been divided among the three public systems: community colleges, California State University and the University of California. Contra Costa Times

Building the movement - Frustrated by deep cuts to education spending and quality, momentum is building across California in support of the "Strike and Day of Action to Defend Public Education" on March 4. San Francisco Bay Guardian

Opinion: Holding the line on cuts to California universities isn't enough - We all know that 2009 was a very tough year for California's public universities. Now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has given students — and the state — a new reason for optimism with his vow to "hold the line" on funding for education in next year's budget. I applaud the governor for his proposal to restore this year's $305 million cut to the California State University budget and to add $60 million in funding for CSU's enrollment growth. The legislature should decisively enact these measures. But let's be clear: "Holding the line" against further cuts isn't enough. Saving higher education in California will take a bold vision in Sacramento of increased funding for education over the long term. A consistent and predictable scaling up of higher education opportunities for California's high school graduates is the best path to economic recovery. Silicon Valley Mercury News

Students seeking California degrees struggle with 2010-2011 fee increases - There are thousands of students in California at a CSU or UC college working to earn their degree, but the new fall 2010-2011 tuition increases might be too much for some to handle. California College News Blog

When students strike back: the new social movement at the University of California - The next big move of the UC coalition is to hold a series of protests, rallies, and strikes throughout the state on March 4th. Under the general banner of "Defending Public Education, Defending Public Workers," this day of action will bring together teachers, students, and workers from K-PhD. The central demands are to stop the fee hikes, rehire layed off workers, increase enrollments, and bargain in good faith with the unions. The coalition is also asking to stop the re-segregation of education by protecting the educational opportunities of underrepresented students. Huffington Post

For UC's Commission on the Future, nothing is off the table - With California's public university system shackled to a shrinking budget, a group of chancellors, students and others considers ideas -- from banal to radical -- to keep quality up and costs down. Los Angeles Times

Cal State to use $51M to restore cut classes - Chancellor Charles Reed said Friday that CSU is giving campuses an extra $50.9 million for the fall 2010 term. The money will add as many as 8,100 classes, retain instructors and provide student services. California State University students could have better luck getting into classes next fall. Silicon Valley Mercury News

S.F. City College cancels summer session - Thousands of students who expected to make up missed courses or simply move their education forward will have to put those plans on hold this year because City College of San Francisco is canceling its popular summer session. San Francisco Chronicle

California community colleges top focus at state legislators hearing - A California state legislator hearing was held in Sacramento yesterday regarding the California Master Plan for Higher Education. The overall focus of the hearing was to brain storm ideas on how more students can get into college and graduate faster. One idea that came up last month in the state, was to allow California community colleges the ability to offer bachelors degrees for certain subjects. California College News Blog

Turning a new leaf on degrees - California’s higher education institutions might be getting a much-needed overhaul. Legislation being drafted by state Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego, would allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees. The State Hornet

Crisp: Presidential nod to community colleges - Everyone who works at a community college -- as I do -- enjoys hearing this American institution mentioned in a speech -- as President Obama did during his State of the Union address last week. Scripps News