Budget Cuts Produce New Protests In California

The recent student protests over plans to raise tuition by about a third is only the latest manifestation of student and faculty unrest over plans by administration officials to deal with that state’s budget problems. The latest plan applies to the state’s University of California System.

The state of California has a three-tiered state higher-education system. There are 23 schools in the University of California system. These schools comprise the state’s research schools. The State University system is comprised of schools that primarily serve undergraduates and have some Masters’ degree programs. There is also the state community college system which provides two-year professional program degrees and also serve to prep students for transferring to the a four-year school. All of the levels of the higher education system have not been immune to California’s fiscal crisis.

The latest plan approved by the University of California regents would push the annual cost of tuition of these schools above the $10,000.00 mark for the first time in system history.

The move was the subject of two days of protest by students who say they won’t be able to afford school. The regents say the move is necessary to keep from cutting programs at the schools.

There have been smaller, more localized protests against budget-cutting moves this year.