Budget cuts leave state education system in the dump
Budget cuts have drastically changed student’s goals throughout all educational levels. Think back to freshmen year in high school. To a lot of students, it’s that year everyone got the kick in the butt they needed for that awkward transition from middle school to high school, a completely new environment.
Most of us were told by our parents to succeed and get an over-the-top GPA or scholarship, allowing us to attend a four-year university straight after high school. But what happens when the economy takes a dump and cuts are made within education?
A fiscal emergency was declared back in January 2008, to an increasing state budget deficit of $14.5 billion.
Fast forward to today. The state currently has a budget of $102.9 billion to cover, which is incredibly high. Three fiscal emergencies have been announced since 2008. One of the three took place to make the Legislature hold a special session in order to start making solutions. At this time, lawmakers are not certain on how to solve this ongoing crisis. However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to call another fiscal emergency to have yet another special session of the legislature before he leaves office on Dec. 6. On this day, a new legislature will be sworn in.
Lawmakers approved new budget revisions to eliminate cuts in July 2009. There was an estimated $15 billion in cuts to education throughout all levels, including K-12 up to university level.
As much as I wish this deficit could be fixed and not hurt damage as many people’s future as it already has, I know money will always be a problem to our society. Legislative analyst’s predict that California will reach a $25.4 billion deficit by June 2012.
As a graduate of 2010, my class as a whole was one of the biggest classes that had ever attended my local high school. At every high school there are always those known people that you know will go far in life. As a junior and senior however, I even watched those people struggle when it came time to fill out college applications.
Throughout all four years of high school, you work for this GPA that is going to get you into a four-year school. Suddenly however, you realize GPA isn’t the factor that will be deciding whether you go to a four-year or attend a community college first. The problem is now money.
Although tuition and the cost of an education are on the rise, lack of money shouldn’t determine someone’s dreams of where they want to end up in life.