The idea of a public education system is that anyone can enroll in college. Students choose a college and pay a reasonable tuition. They work hard, earn a degree and take their acquired skills into the job market and stimulate the economy.

At least that’s the romanticized version that sticks in our heads.

Instead, all we constantly hear is that the budget is being slashed and our tuition is being raised again. And again. And again.

Soon all students will have to graduate college trying to navigate the ocean of debt in a little dinky skiff. Some will survive, while others will capsize their boats and the creditor sharks will eat them alive.

It seems that legislators and politicians have forgotten how hard it is truly is to be a student right now. Most students have a job outside of their full class load. Some students even hold two or three jobs to make ends meet. Some do not qualify for financial aid because their family makes too much money.

Our government representatives earn salaries that allow them to live comfortably with complete government benefits for life. They live in nice houses, not in ratty, one-room apartments somewhere in the Tenderloin.

Instead, our budget gets cut and so does the community college system budget. As the [X]press reported on Feb. 7, Community College Chancellor Diane Woodruff’s office said the community college system received a $225 million budget reduction. The chancellor’s office suggested that this would not allow them to serve the 525,000 new students expected to enroll there next year.

This is the system that provides SF State with more than 46 percent of its students.
Who can and will take responsibility for giving our public education system the shaft? The governor will not take responsibility because he’s trying to save the entire state. He needs to save $14 billion in expenditures for the 2008-09 budget.

To save that money, the higher education budget gets cut just like every government entity. Cutting our budget is a foolhardy mistake.

A 2005 report by ICF Consulting said that for each dollar California invests in our the CSU system, $4.41 in spending is generated.

This brings in $13 billion annually and supports 207,000 jobs, according to the report.

This sounds like a very worthwhile investment of state funds. Forget waiting for Congress to pass the round of rebates. Those won’t last long. As soon as people receive them, it’s just a quick trip to the mall before poof—the money is gone.

With an investment return of over 400 percent, education is the answer. This state is only hurting itself by selling students short. With education being constantly trampled by the feet of our politicians and leaders, what kind of education system will there be?

People already lament that more and more students are showing they do not possess basic reading and writing skills. That’s why all SF State students take the JEPET. It’s a relatively simple test that shows the student can organize their thoughts into complete sentences on paper.

Pass and all is good. Fail and it’s off to the remedial English classes that are overcrowded. Why are they overcrowded? Too many students fail the JEPET because they weren’t taught the skills needed to pass.

Every job out there requires a basic command of writing. Everyone needs a good education to earn the opportunity to get a job.

Save our budget. Save the community college budget. Education is our most precious commodity. It’s the lifeline for this world. Instead of screwing us over, why can’t the politicians show that they have compassion?

It’s a much-needed move.