New master plan would rob Peter to pay Paul to make up for inadequate state funding for the CSU and CCC systems.
By Mel Levine and Dick Ackerman
Dick Ackerman is a Republican and former California state senator from Orange County. Mel Levine is a Democrat and a former U.S. Representative from Los Angeles.
California’s public higher education institutions do need more funding. But Nils Gilman’s financing plan would “rob Peter to pay Paul” by taking all state funding from the UC system to make up for inadequate state funding for the CSU and CCC systems.
His plan would require big UC tuition increases, which would limit access to just the wealthiest students and those students who would qualify for scholarships. At a time when California and the country are seeking to expand economic opportunities and address social inequities, we should vigorously support funding to increase, rather than limit, access to all our public colleges and universities.
As California Coalition for Public Higher Education co-chairs, we believe that support for the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems is an investment in their promise of success for people from all walks of life and in a strong future for our state’s economy.
We should support more funding for higher ed, not a new Master Plan
Share this:
In summary
New master plan would rob Peter to pay Paul to make up for inadequate state funding for the CSU and CCC systems.
By Mel Levine and Dick Ackerman
Dick Ackerman is a Republican and former California state senator from Orange County. Mel Levine is a Democrat and a former U.S. Representative from Los Angeles.
Re “California needs a new Master Plan for Higher Education”; Commentary, May 3, 2021
California’s public higher education institutions do need more funding. But Nils Gilman’s financing plan would “rob Peter to pay Paul” by taking all state funding from the UC system to make up for inadequate state funding for the CSU and CCC systems.
His plan would require big UC tuition increases, which would limit access to just the wealthiest students and those students who would qualify for scholarships. At a time when California and the country are seeking to expand economic opportunities and address social inequities, we should vigorously support funding to increase, rather than limit, access to all our public colleges and universities.
As California Coalition for Public Higher Education co-chairs, we believe that support for the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems is an investment in their promise of success for people from all walks of life and in a strong future for our state’s economy.
We want to hear from you
Want to submit a guest commentary or reaction to an article we wrote? You can find our submission guidelines here. Please contact CalMatters with any commentary questions: commentary@calmatters.org