It is clear that the educational system in the state of California is at one of the lowest points in decades. Schools are forced to deal with teacher cuts, overcrowded classrooms, lack of funding for supplies and textbooks, and inadequate opportunities for students due to a lack of resources. We are facing a crisis in our state. California once had an incredible system of education, envied by the rest of the United States, but with economic decline and an overstrained state budget, the educational system is failing right before our eyes.
California Governor Jerry Brown proposed Proposition 30, which supporters claim will raise about $6 billion in new revenue each year for a variety of programs, education being the largest, through a 0.25% sales tax increase lasting for 4 years to save our schools. The proposition would also increase income tax on individuals making more than $250,000 and couples making more than $500,000 per year. If the proposition does not pass, then automatic “trigger cuts” will slash about $6 billion from K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities.
As a community college student with plans to transfer to a California State University, I have personally experienced the negative effects of the educational deficiencies in California. I have waited outside of classrooms desperately hoping to be able to add a class, sat in through two weeks of classes and still not been able to get a spot, and have seen course offerings slashed. I am dedicated to my education and determined to excel in my major, but the budget crisis makes it incredibly difficult to push forward as expenses for education are rising, and opportunities for students are continuing to diminish.
Of course we want excellent schools in California. Students deserve affordable education and access to future success. We need to make our schools more efficient, eliminate waste, cut duplication, and standardize procedures. We also need to recognize achievement and create a mechanism to remove unproductive personnel and programs. Raising taxes, however, is not the way to accomplish this. Raising taxes to fix a greater problem puts us farther away from solving our budget crisis and creating a sustainable higher education system. Our economy is simply too fragile in our current state to enforce higher taxes on the public. We are just beginning to recover from a crippling recession, and, if Proposition 30 passes, California’s income rates will be the “highest in the nation - 21 percent above the second-highest state of Hawaii and 34 percent above the third - highest state of Oregon” (Greenhut.) Although a quarter-cent sales tax hike may not seem so noticeable, the “median U.S. family income has declined more than $4,000 in four years,” (OC Register) and this seemingly small tax-hike really does make a difference.
The lack of the funding promised by the passage of Proposition 30 will have devastating effects on the state’s educational system and public safety, but we have to consider the alternative. The passage of Proposition 30 will set California back even farther in rebuilding our economy, creating stability and developing a sustainable balanced budget for the future. An argument supported by retired California State Board of Education Executive Director, Tom Bogetich, cited in The California Official Voter Guide opposing Proposition 30 states, “We need to grow our economy to create jobs and cut waste, clean up government, reform our budget process and hold the politicians accountable instead of approving a $50 billion tax hike on small businesses and working families (over seven years) that doesn’t provide any accountability or guarantee new funding for schools.” Yes, Proposition 30 does reverse budget cuts being made to education, but in no way does it actually improve the school system. Our problems are not the result of a lack of funding; they stem from funds never making it into the classroom, and instead being spent on the perpetuation of an inefficient bureaucracy, funding pensions and benefits before students. According to Contra Costa times, “Proposition 30 is like taking an Alka-Seltzer for your aching head when you need brain surgery. Sure, the pain might lessen for a while, but the root cause remains.” (CCT) Like so many flawed propositions, Proposition 30 seeks to tie public safety and many other issues into educational funding, when these issues are clearly separate and should be treated as such.
Another negative aspect of Proposition 30 is the burden on small business owners who pay individual tax rates on their earnings. This is further depleting California’s job market and economy by making California a less-desirable place to live, and forcing Californians to move their businesses elsewhere. My father owns his own business and has built it from the ground up, so I have seen the turmoil he has gone through to keep a business afloat in this economy, and it is heartbreaking. Most people work their entire lives to be successful. If Proposition 30 passes, success will be penalized by higher tax rates; that is simply unjust. There is nothing right about forcing one group of people to pay more taxes than another.
In conclusion, Proposition 30 is hurtful to California. It threatens slashed funding for schools if defeated with no accountability or assurance that the new revenue will go where it is promised if passed. California is in need of long term reform. It’s time to do the hard work, get to the real core of the problem in our state which is inefficiency, waste, and improper allocation of taxpayers dollars. We need to vote for what will benefit California in the long-run, instead of passing quick-fixes that appease but do not resolve long-standing problems. Opposing Proposition 30 is the right thing to do in order to initiate necessary reform and positive change to move us forward.
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