Prop 30 Final Draft

Sara Estrada

October 14, 2012

English 2

The Students are the Future of California

The future of California relies on the present and future students; the voters in California have the choice to determine what our state’s future entails. Governor Jerry Brown states, “Failure to pass this tax measure in November will result in devastating cuts to the state’s education system that will mean we don’t have a future.” Proposition 30 was created to fund education and stop the cut backs on schools, tuition hikes, layoffs and downsizing class size and guarantee local public safety funds. Based on California Franchise Tax Board data for 2009, the additional income tax would be imposed on the top 3% of California taxpayers. Because Prop. 30 works within the framework of the state budget to pay down the debt, Prop. 30 is the only initiative that helps balance the budget and prevents more devastating cuts to services for seniors, working families and small businesses. The very highest earners will pay more for seven years. The sales tax provision will be in effect for four years. Under Prop. 30, money raised for schools is directed into a special fund for public schools that the legislature can’t touch. Annual audits will insure Prop. 30 funds raised for schools are only spent on schools. No money can be used for administration. According to the California Faculty Association, if Prop. 30 doesn’t pass, schools K-12 get cut $5.5 billion which will eliminate three weeks of school and CSU’s get cut an additional $250 million, after a $750 million dollar cut, which will increase tuition tremendously.

If Prop. 30 is passed, it will increase personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years as well as sales and use tax by ¼ cent for four years. It allocates temporary tax revenues 89% to K–12 schools and 11% to community colleges. It also bars use of funds for administrative costs, but provides local school governing board’s discretion to decide, in open meetings and subject to annual audit, how funds are to be spent. Additionally it guarantees funding for public safety services realigned from state to local governments. According to the California Legislative Analyst's Office and the Director of Finance, it will bring in additional state tax revenues of about $6 billion a year.

The main point the “no on Prop. 30” express is that the government keeps spending money they don’t have putting us more in debt and that they are concerned that the tax funds will not reach the classrooms. Although I do agree the government does spend more money than they have, I don’t believe Prop. 30 has anything to do with it. Prop. 30 is specifically for schools and local public safety, not the government to pay for more expensive, unnecessary things. The concerns regarding the funds reaching the classrooms is a reasonable concern but they have to realize classrooms need students, teachers and appropriate materials for learning. If the schools cut back classes and raise tuition, there will be less and less students and teachers to fill the classrooms. According to The University of California, under the terms of the 2012-13 state budget, failure of Proposition 30 would cost the University of California an additional $375 million: an immediate trigger cut of $250 million, plus the loss of another $125 million in funding promised in 2013-14 to pay for this year’s freeze of mandatory system wide student charges.

I am currently a full time student attending Cabrillo Community College. I go to school every day and when I am not in class I am doing homework or studying. I barely have enough time every day to eat, therefore I don’t have time for a job and am currently unemployed. There is the option of taking one or two classes to be able to have a job but I feel my education is more important at this time in my life. As of August 2012, the unemployment rate in California was 10.8% whereas the national unemployment rate was only 8.6%, as indicated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Being a college student I am not qualified to do most jobs. Any good job requires at least a college degree.

 I attended public school from kindergarten to my freshman year and there were very few teachers that actually cared what the students did and learned. In high school a yard supervisor caught a group of eight students skipping class to smoke marijuana on school campus and the only thing he did was put his clip board up and said, “They don’t pay me enough to see this”. It didn’t matter what the students did in class either; there were teachers that would fail students but they wouldn’t help them understand the material to prevent students from failing. I hated public school because the teachers didn’t care and they weren’t willing to help. All I wanted to do was drop out. I remember telling everyone once I turned 15 I wasn’t going back to school.

 Eventually I started at a private school with great teachers that helped each student in every subject. They taught me that I could learn because I was smart and I could actually graduate high school. I went from fighting school to wanting to go to learn. I received many awards during my graduation ceremony along with my diploma.

Once I figured out I could achieve success, graduate and receive my high school diploma, I decided I was going to go to college and graduate there also. I remember my first day at Cabrillo College; it was my 19^th birthday, August 29^th, 2011, I was nervous at first; I thought it would be just like public high school only bigger but I was completely wrong. It was great. I really liked the freedom and huge, open campus, but when I went to my first class there was at least 15 people on the wait list and the room was filled with students sitting at desks as well as on the ground and standing in the back. That really surprised me. I thought, “This place is huge. Why can’t all these students get into classes?” There are those who don’t sign up on time but the fact that the classes are getting fewer and fewer and the costs are getting more and more expensive aren’t helping the students of California. Cabrillo’s response to the 2012 system-wide budget survey states that in the past two years course offerings at Cabrillo College have decreased by almost 10%.

 People in society need to be educated, especially those that truly want to be. The amount of money a student or student’s family has or doesn’t have shouldn’t determine the education they will or will not receive. If Proposition 30 passes, it will allow those students to go to school and achieve success by earning their college degrees.

 We, the students, ask those who are more fortunate and wealthy to help us out. Think about the future of California; if people can’t afford school or receive a proper education, what will happen to our state? We are the future of California. A lot of us are young and haven’t had to make many important life choices and don’t know as much as people that have been around longer but we need to be educated in all aspects of life and we are asking those who are fortunate and financially able, to help provide us with an education to succeed in life.

 Although I haven’t decided what I want to do with my life, career or what my major is, I have decided that no matter what I am going to graduate. I truly feel that the people attending community college want to be there. K-12 students are forced to be there. No one makes students go to college and attend classes, and students pay to be there to further their education. A lot of students can barely afford to stay in school but they want to graduate college in order to better themselves and have better job opportunities.

 As I stated before I am a college student attending community college and I have seen the cutbacks on class sizes and the increase of fees due to limited funding over the past two years. I believe that if Proposition 30 passes, it will allow for more students to attend college. Over the last few years Cabrillo College has had to cut 400 classes and 47 full time staff jobs have been eliminated. Something needs to change so students can receive an education and staff can keep their jobs.

If Proposition 30 passes, it will allow more students to attend college and the K-12 schools will have enough resources to educate and prepare students for college. The people that have made a lot of money tend to spend it on unnecessary things. I don’t think they really need statues in their houses or cars that cost upwards of $800,000. Those things are all very nice but I think if they give back to society by helping education, it would be much more rewarding in the long run. Material things won’t last forever but an education and opportunities will.

No one likes paying taxes but this tax initiative only affects 3% of Californians by the income tax increase and it effects all of California by the quarter of a cent sales tax, less than one penny per dollar, to help provide funds for educating the future of California. If we, the students, aren’t properly educated what will happen to our beautiful Golden State? Jerry Brown said, “The California Dream was built on a system of public schools and colleges that gave every Californian access to the education needed to get ahead.” We need help, both students and teachers, so reflect on those ridiculously expensive materialistic things and think about if they are more important than educating the future of California.

Works cited:

"California Economy at a Glance." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ca.htm>.

Brown, Jerry. "Newspapers throughout the State Agree - Yes on Prop 30." YES on 30. Yes on 30, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.yesonprop30.com/>.

"Cabrillo College Federation of Teachers AFT Local 4400." Cabrillo College Federation of Teachers. CCFT, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://ccftcabrillo.org/>.

Schwab, David. "Brown: Proposition 30 Failure Would Result in Devastating Cuts to Education." Swrnn.com. City News Service, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 Sept. 2012.

California. State Legislature. Attorney General. TEMPORARY TAXES TO FUND EDUCATION. GUARANTEED LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. By Kamala Harris. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Sos.ca.gov. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.