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As usual,
the new year brings
us the beginning of the annual budget season in Sacramento. This year,
unlike last year, brings the very good news that no fee increase is
being proposed for our students. Since the governor’s budget (which is
more accurately described as the Department of Finance budget) has no
fee increase, we can almost certainly heave a sigh of relief. The
Legislature is highly unlikely to change that piece of the puzzle.
However, although
some of our budget news sounds good, there are many serious issues
facing our colleges and our state.
For students, there
is the continuing spiraling of fees at the CSU and UC systems they
aspire to, as well as the underfunding of the CC system in general.
Despite the COLA at 3.9 percent, and other funds that sound reasonably
good, there are serious problems — perhaps better described as
“threats”—which we must face.
For example, that
3.9 percent COLA, which is often the basis for salary negotiations, is
actually about half the stated amount because of “takeaways” the DOF
proposes regarding our CalSTRS and CalPERS retirement plans. Not only
faculty and staff would be impacted by the proposed changes in
retirement plans, but every public employee, from the local police to
the state park ranger, would have a whole new pension system, if the
governor’s plan goes forward. So we should probably think of COLA as
being closer to 2 percent by the time Sacramento gets done with us.
Confused? Well,
this budget can do that. The COLA is announced to sound generous, but
the STRS reductions substantially reduce it. The new funding mechanisms
break promises made last year to California (remember the governor
signed a pact last year with CTA promising that the $2 billion taken
from Prop 98 for 2004-05 would be one time only?), and the community
college system is no exception.
We have battles all
around us. Prop 98 is being undermined, our colleges are underfunded,
our pensions are being threatened with privatization (do
you
want to manage all your retirement money? Do you have time? What if
you bet wrong on the stock market?). So, once again, we organize
ourselves and our students, trudge north to meet with legislators,
invite legislators to our campus, track legislation and budget items,
watch for news of special elections, monitor ballot propositions being
circulated…our list of civic duties seems endless.
Are we going to do
our share? Are we going to keep informed and prepared for whatever
political efforts must be made to defend our colleges? Are we going to
say “yes” when asked to pay more dues to our union in order to join all
the public employee unions in the state to fight back with our version
of “direct democracy”? It’s too bad that the voters’ wish for a “fixer”
(aka “the collectinator/terminator”) to resolve the complex problems
facing our state has led us to yet another version of “no new taxes,
just squeeze public services and the public servants.” When will they
ever learn? Let’s hope voters wake up and realize that the Arnold
approach is no solution to our educational challenges in a state
destined to add millions more residents over the next twenty years—it
simply won’t work to undertax the enormous wealth all around us and
destroy the educational opportunities that enable the next generation to
prepare themselves for the workforce. Protecting public services and
treating those of us who serve the public with respect should be a high
priority. But it won’t be unless we demand it.
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