by David Safier
A few hundred people — students, faculty, community members like myself — gathered on the UA Mall for a short protest against what were referred to as the Pearce-Kavanagh Education Cuts. Similar gatherings took place at the two other university campuses.
It was a necessary but far-too-weak response to the proposed cuts. Let's hope there are more and bigger public reactions that involve parents and K-12 students as well. Seeing as how the Rs want to seal the budget deal by mid-February, time is short.
A generational note: The organizers led a few chants during the event. When the first began, "hey Hey! ho Ho! . . ." my heart sank. Would we recycle the old chants forever? But later ones were fresher and better:
"S.O.S. Save our Schools. Save our State." (Right. The fates of education and the state are intimately connected.)
"We are the solution, NOT the Problem!" (Exactly right! And I like the contemporary emphasis on the NOT.)
New sounds for a new generation. Maybe I'll be able to attend protest rallies again and not feel like I hopped into a time machine.
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Perhaps Thane is uneducated and he holds people with higher degrees in contempt! Thane I look forward to a world where we (higher degree holders) are not around and then perhaps the tradesmen can innovate and create new technologies and new jobs and make life better for all of us!
The Pres of ASU sent out a letter today to all faculty, staff and students outlining some of the impact on ASU
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On top of these cuts, the Pearce and Kavanagh proposal would require ASU to cut another $70 million, or 35% of our remaining state funding, in less than five months. Another cut of $155 million is proposed for FY10. Three of our past legislative initiatives — the research infrastructure bill of 2004, the Polytechnic campus construction package of 2006 and the SPEED construction stimulus bill of 2008 – would be defunded. The cuts to our base budget are both cumulative and permanent and to put them into perspective, they are equal to:
· A base General Fund budget reduction of nearly 40% from the FY08 level; or
· Doubling the number of ASU students without state funding to 40,000; or
· Cumulatively reducing per student funding by almost $3,200;
To deal with cuts of this magnitude, we would need to:
· Layoff thousands more employees;
· Have a massive furlough of all remaining employees for two weeks or longer;
· Increase tuition and fees; (replacing the cuts by raising tuition alone would require a tuition rate of almost $11,000 for Arizona residents)
· Close academic programs.
· Close a campus or possibly two.
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Cuts for U of A and NAU are of similar magnitude as are cuts for K-12. At the same time the legislature is proposing making permanent a suspension of the Equalization Tax and making illegal revenue generating programs like the Photo Enforcement on the Highways.
This is like cutting off your head because you’re overweight. Call your legislators.
Why does Thane want to see America destroy its higher education system which is, hands down, the best in the world? Seems like there is something being done right there, music degrees and all.
Thane, you’re usually so clear and comprehensible, worth reading even though I usually disagree. But this is borderline incoherent.
Maybe today’s Inauguration temporarily blew a few fuses.
If public (government paid) schooling was the solution then why does anybody oppose providing more of it? There is a valid reason and it is called the real world. The fact is that government school teachers expect to be paid and that government schools don’t build themselves. If government schools were cost free I wouldn’t mind having twice as many government schools. Hint: there not.
The PROBLEM is that the public school system can’t be paid for with four leaf clovers and gum-drop dreams.
I look forward to a society where tradesmen aren’t taxed to subsidize bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in music, ceramics and dancing (or any other topic).