Students for California's Future: News

December 7th - 13th, 2009

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Politics dominate Calif education reform effort - To education reformers, a $4.3 billion school funding competition from the Obama administration seemed like just the push California needed to start making long overdue changes to restore academic luster to the state's public schools. The Associated Press

Assembly considers education reforms - California's educational system could undergo some of the biggest changes in years as the Legislature rushes to impose a number of reforms needed to win up to $700 million from President Obama's Race to the Top competition. San Francisco Chronicle

Death of the Master Plan? - A newly created legislative committee on California’s Master Plan for Higher Education listened Monday to a long list of college presidents, students, professors and others tell different versions of the same sad story: The fifty-year-old promise of the Master Plan has been broken. California Progress Report

As We See It: Uphold college master plan - In 1960, California adopted a far-reaching plan to offer higher education at little or no cost. The Master Plan for Higher Education created a coordinated system involving the University of California, the state university system and community colleges. Santa Cruz Sentinel

Opinion: New state plan must support community colleges - Santa Clara County residents must send a strong message to a new legislative committee reviewing the educational master plan: the economic rebound of the state and Silicon Valley depends on community colleges. San Jose Mercury News

Keep the Promise of Affordable Higher Education - The Master Plan for Higher Education promised affordable access to a high quality post secondary education for all Californians who wished to pursue it.  It wedded a visionary economic blueprint for the state’s workforce to the moral, intellectual and political purposes of providing our state’s citizens with the means to participate in our democratic institutions. California Progress Report

Calif. Higher Ed Leaders Call for More State Funds - California's promise of an affordable higher education for its residents is being jeopardized by state budget cuts, the leaders of the state's college and university systems warned. ABC News

Top educators fight to preserve California's 50-year master plan for higher education - The leaders of California’s three public college and university systems made a rare joint appearance at a legislative hearing to urge that the state restore enough funding to maintain the nearly 50-year-old master plan for higher education. Los Angeles Times

Top college administrators urge greater support for California's higher education plan - California's 50-year-old "Master Plan for Higher Education" is not broken — in fact, nations such as China and Singapore are trying to replicate it. But it is in peril because of inadequate funding, college administrators testified Monday morning in Sacramento. San Jose Mercury News

Lawmakers urged to invest in higher ed - As lawmakers held the first of several hearings on the California Master Plan for Higher Education on Monday, leading public educators told the panel there's nothing wrong with the plan that money can't fix. San Francisco Chronicle

Protesters damage Calif university leader's home - Eight people were under arrest Saturday after protesters broke windows, lights and planters outside the home of the chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. The Associated Press

60 protesters arrested at UC Berkeley for occupying classroom building, authorities say - Police at UC Berkeley arrested more than 60 trespassing students and other protesters early this morning after a four-day "open occupation" of a classroom building, university officials said. Los Angeles Times

Why privatizing the University of California won't work - UC has been a driver of the state economy and an engine of socioeconomic advancement. Raising fees to private-university levels would undermine its mission of equal opportunity. Los Angeles Times

University of California adds up to $8,000 to 'professional' degrees - Future social workers, architects and urban planners studying at the University of California (UC) are about to get a change in status they might not want. Starting next year, these UC students will be considered "professional" degree candidates and will be required to pay up to $8,000 more a year in student fees. They will join law, business and medical students, among others, who have paid big surcharges for years. Some people say that isn't fair. Seattle Times

With Furloughs and Fee Hikes Underway, UC Under Major Scrutiny - With the University of California imposing a 32% fee increase to students and implementing furloughs and layoffs as a means to cut costs, the UC System is now under increased scrutiny from a variety of fronts. On November 23, 2009, the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) issued a complaint regarding unfair labor practices and bad faith negotiations. California Progress Report

CSU Stanislaus Students Protest Fee Hikes, Class Cuts - At 11 Wednesday morning, classes at California State University were less crowded than usual.  About 300 students and some instructors left classrooms to protest the state's budget situation. News 10

Protesters cleared out of San Francisco State building, university says - Police early Thursday cleared protesters occupying a business administration building at San Francisco State University, and school authorities were getting the facility ready for classes, a school spokeswoman told CNN. CNN

Community Commentary: Education must remain a priority - At the three colleges of the Coast Community College District — Coastline Community College, Golden West College and Orange Coast College — there are far more students than classes, and we are planning for further cuts that we will be forced to make for 2010-11. Daily Pilot

Berkeley City College Hosts Another Meeting In Opposition to Budget Cuts - A meeting and lunch were held Saturday at Berkeley City College as a follow-up to an early November meeting at which several hundred representatives of California schools gathered to organize against cutbacks to public education. The Berkeley Daily Planet