In Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger”s State of the State Address Wednesday he pledged to create jobs, allow for more construction projects and protect education while California faces a $20 billion budget deficit and more cuts.
Schwarzenegger said:
“But I am drawing this line. Because our future economic well-being is so dependent upon education, I will protect education funding in this budget. And we can no longer afford to cut higher education either.
“The priorities have become out of whack over the years. I mean, think about it.
Thirty years ago 10 percent of the general fund went to higher education and 3 percent went to prisons. Today, almost 11 percent goes to prisons and only 7.5 percent goes to higher education.
“Spending 45 percent more on prisons than universities is no way to proceed into the future. What does it say about our state? What does it say about any state that focuses more on prison uniforms than on caps and gowns? It simply is not healthy.
“So I will submit to you a constitutional amendment so that never again do we spend a greater percentage of our money on prisons than on higher education.”
To the governor I say, I will believe he and the Legislature protect education when I see it.
The governor went on to say the way to spend more on higher education than prisons is to cut prison spending and put that money into colleges. He also called for tax reform saying that 144,000 taxpayers pay almost 50 percent of all personal income taxes.
I agree with Schwarzenegger that spending $50,000 per prisoner is preposterous and the state needs tax reform, but historically he has cut from services and education.
Schwarzenegger has made promises before to schools and universities that he will repay the money he took, but he didn”t. He said he would create teaching jobs. He did not. That he will increase funding. He cut funding.
In a Jan. 8, 2008 State of the State Address, Schwarzenegger said the education system needed reform and there were too few teachers and counselors. Two days later the governor proposed $4.8 billion in spending cuts to California public schools.
In 2004, he signed a compact with University of California and the California State University systems to increase higher education funding from 2005 to 2007 by 3 percent and by 4 percent from 2007 to 2011. Instead Schwarzenegger cut money to higher education.
“Severe budget cuts have led to unprecedented teacher layoffs and school closings over the past year, as well as skyrocketing student fees and professor furloughs in California”s higher education system, the largest in the nation,” according to an Associated Press article. “Several campuses have been rocked by student protests that have at times turned violent.”
If Schwarzenegger wants to create jobs he should start at the bottom ? kindergarten to doctorates ? and support education.
Katy Sweeny is a staff reporter for the Record-Bee. She can be reached at ksweeny@record-bee.com or 263-5636, ext. 37.
