Return to RCDP 2017 – 2020 Resolutions

Reinvesting in Higher Education

WHEREAS The State of California made a commitment in 1960, through the Master Plan for Higher Education, to a high quality, free, and universally accessible higher education for all Californians, However, since the year 2000 the state’s support per student at UC and CSU has dropped by 40%, student fees have exploded by 150%, 170%, and 200% at the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges respectively, and in the past twelve years California residents have graduated with $12 billion in student debt, and

WHEREAS The privatization model forced upon systems through a policy of state disinvestment from higher education has led to skyrocketing student fees, historic and disastrous levels of student debt, and misallocated university administrative priorities, Privatization further created a prohibitively intricate and complex financial aid matrix for low income families to access higher education, and

WHEREAS In recent times, support for such policies has increased amongst the public, according to a December 2016 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, 67% of respondents agreed public colleges and universities did not receive enough state funding and 72% agreed the cost of attendance keeps students out, a series of proposals for arriving at such a policy conclusion have been set forth across the state, such as the “The $48 fix: Reclaiming California’s Master Plan for Higher Education.[1]”, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Riverside County Democratic Party supports a recommitment to the Master Plan by increasing public funding to fully fund core operations, restore academic quality and per student funding to historical levels, and eliminate tuition at the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges through progressive taxation, specifically an income tax surcharge costing the median California family $48 per year.; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Riverside County Democratic Party supports the 48 Dollar Fix because no student should take on crippling levels of debt to afford basic necessities while enrolled in higher education, every in-state student ready and willing should have the access and opportunity to attend a public college or university, the current financial aid system should be re-appropriated to support living costs, while attending California public Universities and Colleges and the RCDP will send a copy of this resolution to the California Democratic Party.

 

Author: Travis Traber  AD67

Passed 08/14/2017