Constant Opinions

I live in California, so I’ve been watching the trends of the costs of higher education here. I attended schools in the CSU system, so I know this both as a student and now alumna.

Unfortunately it just doesn’t surprise me to read that it looks like the problems in Washington yet again. This has been a chronic problem since before I started.

I attended as a middle class student from a family earning just barely too much for most forms of financial aid. However, my father chose not to help and my mother could only offer a place to live (with her, otherwise I was literally on my own). Despite that, the schools do assume parents are going to help, and so I didn’t have financial aid. Probably could have pushed it more but I didn’t after the first time I was declined.

So I worked my way through college.

But looking at the fees now, I don’t know how students in that situation can cope. It was hard enough for me. Even living at home, the basic things like having a car meant I had to save pretty hard for my classes, or work more hours meaning I couldn’t take as many classes to get done quickly. Not a pretty picture.

I know the state is in quite a bind financially and something has to be done. But I’ve always disliked seeing how much of the burden falls on the educational system.

I attended classes in the CSU system just after huge cuts were made. I’m talking my older sister’s entire major disappeared due to budget cuts. This was not small stuff.

It’s tragic watching higher education be more of a dream than a reality for more and more of the lower and middle class. The disparity in income is just going to get worse.

The one good thing I can say is thank goodness for the Internet and more widely available information. It’s tough out there but at least there are some things people can still train themselves for. But that isn’t enough.

This isn’t a problem just at the college level or just in California. Take a look at this blog entry talking about the <a href=”http://www.horsesass.org/?p=2419″>problems in Washington</a>. I’m telling you, this stuff is getting ugly.

Personally, I think the entire system is due for overhaul. Let’s quit teaching to the test; in fact let’s take a good look at whether or not all those tests now required are doing children any good at all. Is “No Child Left Behind” really helping? I doubt it personally, at least when you’re talking about the actual quality of education.

Let’s look at tax structures. Let’s look where our tax money is going. Let’s look at what should be funded publicly versus privately.

Will it be easy to figure out? No! Will it cost money to figure out? No doubt. But if we’re lucky it might just help in the long run.

I’m trying not to think about if we’re unlucky, i.e. “Business as usual.”

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Filed under: Education