Key conclusions are that Californians see budget cuts (70%) and overall affordability (58%) as major problems at the community colleges, CSU, and UC systems. At the same time, 68% oppose increasing student fees (called tuition in most places) and 56% oppose paying higher taxes to fund higher education. About half (52%) believe that a combination of better use of existing state funds and increased funding is the answer to the problems of higher education. Thirty eight percent say just using existing funding more wisely is best.
I find this last idea somewhat humorous in that with a 50% reduction in state support for the CSU over the last 3 years people actually think there might be fat left to cut. California's major problem is that the taxpayers demand services with no costs and the politicians are too busy being ideologues to actually bother with the practical mater of governing. But I doubt it is that much different in other states.
T.S. Hall
I really have a problem with this also. I think the tax payers are onto something with using the funds more wisely. Nearly 54% of the state general fund went to all education, how much more does education need? Education has become a sacred cow these days and we really do need to question how that money is spent. I know that 54% is also K-12, but that is still a lot of money going to education regardless.
ReplyDeleteEducation has gotten into the habit of increasing it's cost as the amount of funding increases. I don't know where all this money goes! It seems like so much yet we still can't employ teachers even full time now! I really do think that the educational establishment needs to figure something out, they get the majority of the tax money as it is. Blame K-12, it seems they have only increased at the expense of Higher Ed.
Name a necessary amount of money Tom, and I bet it won't be enough the next year. Despite the low cost (adjusted for inflation) of computers, living, cars, etc. Education just can't stop increasing it's costs. It's a rather predictable pattern tax payers are getting tired of.
http://www.dof.ca.gov/budgeting/budget_faqs/information/documents/CHART-C.pdf
Look at the chart, it tells the story fairly well. We spend the most money on education in the world in this country, and it's still not enough.
As usual Felix brings up good points.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that we must drill deeper into the numbers and consider such things as the cost per pupil adjusted for inflation. Since we have sold the idea that everyone should get a college education the numbers of people in colleges have increased greatly. With increased numbers costs must go up, particularly in education where economies of scale are hard to get when one measures knowledge imparted rather than degrees awarded.