Ryan Chartrand“Educational cutbacks damage the economy” is the message the California Faculty Association is sending to college students and faculty amid Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts.
The CFA represents more than 23,000 faculty members currently employed by California State University system.
If passed, Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget will decrease funding for education by 10 percent, translating to a $312 million cut for CSU schools and a 10 percent fee increase for students.
The end result for most schools will be limited enrollment, fewer faculty, overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources.
“It’s a recipe for disaster,” said Kim Geron, political science professor at CSU East Bay and vice president of the CFA, in a telephone conference.
“Making students pay more for less is not a solution to California’s budget deficit. It will only worsen the problem. CSUs graduate about 90,000 students per year. Derailing the future of these students will have a severe impact on the economy. There won’t be people to take on higher-level jobs. This is not a good business model.”
One primary concern is that many CSUs will lower the number of students accepted each year.
“The CSU mission is to accept the top one-third of all high school students into CSU schools,” said Lillian Taiz, history professor at Cal State Los Angeles and CFA president in a telephone conference. “We’re at a point were we can’t deliver on that promise. We’re deeply saddened by this proposal.”
The CFA equates the proposed budget cut to closing an entire CSU campus, since the decrease in funding is more than the annual cost of one CSU.
Students and faculty at Cal Poly are feeling the pressure from the proposed budget.
“Less money means less faculty, which means fewer classes available to students,” said Richard Saenz, president of the Cal Poly chapter of CFA. “We’re already overenrolled this year. With fewer resources, the departments won’t be able to meet the needs of the students. It’s not good.”
As it stands now, the budget is simply a proposal and will likely be revised before the legislature votes on it.
However, CFA is imploring students and faculty to take action now to ensure that the budget as proposed does not become law later this year.
“We have a window of opportunity now, and we have a lot of work to do,” Taiz said. “We need to send a message to everyone that we’re facing a real threat to the quality of our education. Cutting back on education is not the solution to our state’s money problems.”