[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Valerie Novak
San Joaquin Delta College student

As a working, single mom, attending community college was my only affordable option for a higher education. I’m proud that I’m attending community college with my daughter, and thankful that we can afford it.

It hasn’t been easy though. A few years ago, fees jumped dramatically when my son, daughter, and I enrolled in our local community college. Paying the fees for three of us was a real struggle.

While I am in school, I work different jobs to make our goals in education possible, both as a trained private chef and a community instructor in food preparation. When I complete my studies at the community college level, I plan to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue my degrees in nutritional science. My goal is to achieve the degrees required for a professional dietetic career that will include teaching in the community college system.

I’m not alone in the struggle to pay for higher education. Ask any community college student trying to earn an income, and they will tell you how important low, stable fees are to them. Every dollar up or down in fees makes a huge difference.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Shanta Driver
National Co-Chair
BAMN

At UCLA, Ward Connerly and Richard Sander have the gall to "commemorate" the 11th anniversary of Proposition 209 in California – which is nothing other than legally-imposed separate and unequal segregation of higher education in the state with the highest Latina/o population in the nation. Prop 209 has created a two-tier system of public education, where the best opportunities are reserved for white students, and Latina/o, black and Native American students are relegated to second-class citizenship.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Clear Message That Changes Needed and Disapproval of Both Governor and Legislature in Handling This Issue

By Frank D. Russo

The Public Policy Institute of California has done an extensive survey broken out by both all Californians and likely voters who send a strong message that they are concerned about the affordability of public college and university education which they see as a necessity, without which one cannot succeed in the workplace. They also rate negatively the Governor's performance in this area along with that of the state legislature. And they want changes made.

"Californians and Higher Education", released late last night, is a 44 page report based on a survey of 2,503 California adults taken between October 10 and 23.

Californians Say College Education is the Only Way to Succeed in the Economy

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Vow to continue efforts for access and affordability of higher education in California, including Dream Act in 2008

By Oiyan Poon
President
University of California Student Association

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By John Laird
Chair of
Assembly Budget Committee and
Conference Committee on the Budget

The final state budget has been signed by the governor, and it’s bad news for anyone who looks to the state for health care, lower fees for higher education, human services, public transit, library programs, or protecting parks and the environment.

The budget delay also demonstrated why the budget process is broken. California is one of just three states—the others being Arkansas and Rhode Island—that require a two-thirds vote of each legislative house to approve a budget.

Even though the legislative budget process—highlighted by public hearings and a bi-partisan conference committee—produced a balanced budget on-time, Republican Senators held the budget up for 52 days. The budget that was held up also included the largest budget reserve in the history of the state. And it included no new taxes.

The 14 Senators blocking the budget not only wanted massive cuts in spending, they also wanted to leverage issues that were not even included in the budget, such as Attorney General actions against local governments on the fight against global warming. At one point, they even wanted to get around voters’ disapproval of parental notification for teens receiving reproductive health services.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Gil Cedillo
California State Senator

Recently the Los Angeles Times ran an editorial, “For Citizens Only,” on the California Dream Act (SB 160) which misrepresented facts and promoted a policy position out of step with reality and mainstream opinion in California.

Just one week after the LA Times declared their objection to increasing access to higher education for all Californians, the California Public Policy Institute (PPIC) issued a definitive analysis citing a critical gap in the number of college grads the state will produce. PPIC warned that California will not meet the economic demand for highly skilled workers with current immigration and graduation rates; they recommended swift action on the state’s behalf to intervene.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Marty Hittelman
President
California Federation of Teachers

The Faculty and College Excellence Act (FACE) is a national campaign aimed at providing quality education to our students. Bills have been introduced in ten states, including California.

We in the American Federation of Teachers believe that every student deserves a high quality education and that employees who work hard deserve fair compensation.

FACE addresses two critical issues facing our colleges and universities: