Education is the backbone of the American economy. To cut funding for education now, in this time of financial crisis, is shortsighted and irresponsible.

America’s economic roller coaster is playing havoc with California’s budget, and public education is paying the price. A possible shortfall of $24 billion for California’s budget by mid-2010 has forced Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut governmental spending in all areas—including a $66 million chop to the California State University (CSU) budget. While this cut may help tip California’s finances out of the red for a short while, education is essential to California’s economic future. California’s budget needs to be balanced, but ensuring a quality education system should be a high priority. Cutting education is like killing a chicken—although you may eat well tonight, you will have no more eggs for tomorrow.

Decreased funding has caused an already strapped CSU system to raise its tuition by a shocking 10 percent. This increase places an extra burden on students, especially those from low-income families. Increased school fees may force these students to spend more time working than studying, making it more difficult for them to succeed academically. In addition, students may accumulate large sums of debt that can limit their choices after college. On top of that, with the economy as slow as it is, finding jobs to pay for school is more difficult than ever. Public education was designed to be the great equalizer that makes the rags-to-riches dreams of Americans come true. Increasing tuition, however, may pull college financially out of reach for some students from lower-income backgrounds.

In addition to raising tuition, CSUs and the University of California (UC) system is cutting back on the number of undergraduates admitted. This year, 10,000 qualified students will be turned away by the CSU system as the admission requirements rise. This means 10,000 fewer college graduates to run California’s future economy. According to a 2002 U.S. Census Bureau report, the average college graduate earns $900,000 more in a lifetime than the average high school graduate. Multiplied by the 10,000 students, that’s a total of $9 billion in taxable income lost by refusing these young adults’ access to a college degree. Education is a valuable investment that pays the state back generously in the long run. By cutting educational funding now, we are depriving California’s future economy of a knowledgeable workforce.

The timing of these cutbacks could not be worse. An unstable economy is pushing more students than ever to seek the affordable prices of public education. As admissions fall, enrollment applications are skyrocketing—this year, there are almost 20 percent more applicants than there were last year. This disparity between educational supply and demand causes increased competition in an already stressful college application process. The CSU used to be a safe backup for most students with a B average or higher; according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, however, that security is dwindling as well.

Cutting admissions and raising tuitions, are not enough to balance California’s public education budget. Professors’ salaries are in jeopardy, fewer classes are being offered and class sizes are being dramatically increased. Shallower pockets could mean unhappy teachers, and fewer classes limit the depth to which students can explore their interests. At UC Berkeley, for example, 11 reading and comprehension classes were cut from the English department and two fall survey courses were canceled in the science department. Some classes have been cut so much that it becomes difficult to even get in—possibly postponing graduation for some unlucky students who still need to fulfill requirements. Californian students are being charged more money for a worse education—a raw deal from anyone’s standpoint.

Schools are stuck between a rock and a hard wall; if they raise their prices, it will hurt the students, but if they do nothing, they’ll drown in a deep sea of debt. The only way to keep California’s universities afloat is to increase funding for public education by raising taxes, borrowing money from the federal government (if they can spare $25 billion to bail out American automakers, they can surely fork over a couple hundred million for schools) or cutting excess spending on accessories like the most recent $9 billion high speed train. Just do something—it may be difficult now, but in the long run, the returns will be great.

—Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 33; dissenting: 0)