prop 30 rough draft

Vanesa Miranda                                                                                               Miranda 1
Instructor Knapp
English 1A
29 September 2012

Very Rough Draft

 

            The state of California is at risk of becoming stupid. When it comes to education there are no boundaries as to how much you can learn and be taught. This years election will determine the future of California's education system. Prop 30 will aid in the funding of California's schools. Voting 'yes' on Prop 30 is the only way to ensure that our public does not fall behind in their education. If prop 30 does not pass, K-12 schools, community colleges and public safety will lose funding by $6 billion. California is already in debt and with an economy that fails to provide a sufficient amount of money we can not afford to lose even more.

           

            Public safety includes all firefighters, social services, police, prisons. they face cuts that can leave many firefighters and police without jobs. Protection and safety is crucial. How can our public be safe if we lack the very people who's jobs were created to help people and protect them. Prop 30 could actually save many jobs and prevent layoffs.

           

            Prop 30 increases income tax on the rich for 7 years. Increases the sales tax for 4 years by 1/4 of a percent. It will generates $8.5 billion in the first year and $5-7 billion each year after. It is only fair for those who make equal to or more than $1million annually to be taxed an additional 1%. They might have worked hard for their money but they are more than capable of paying extra

 

            American public schools are falling behind in comparison to other countries around the world.  Many European countries offer multiple language studies and begin teaching their students up to three foreign languages at a time. By the time they reach the equivalent of maybe 12th grade they are already fluent in more than two languages. Most K-12 offer at least one or two foreign languages and only teach about four years of it which is only enough to be able to comprehend the basics of the language. But learning foreign languages is only a thin slice of what our public education system is falling behind in but, there are multiple other things the system need to work on. Electives and physical education classes have already been cut and many of our teachers have been left unemployed due to these cuts too. If prop 30 does not pass, additional classes will be cut and will force students into already over sized class rooms. Studies show that with smaller class sizes students learn better. How can we give students the best education possible if their class rooms are double the normal size? Not only is it difficult for the students but the teachers as well.

           

            CSU tuition is up more than 300% in the past decade and will continue to rise due to cuts. If prop 30 doesn't pass CSU would get cut up to $250 million and tuition could go                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                        Miranda 2

 

up $150. According to the Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, Community Colleges

depend on the states's general fund and local property taxes by 60%. The rest they receive from local property taxes and tuition fees. If prop 30 doesn't pass community colleges will be cut an additional 7.3%. Not only will it be difficult for the students that are trying to further their education but it will also be hard on the teachers and staff who depend on the schools as employment. Layoffs will increase and the shortage of teachers will lead to larger class sizes. Tutoring services and office hours will also decrease, making it difficult for students to receive the fair amount of help they need.

           

            It is my third semester at Cabrillo College and already I'm behind in my education because of over sized classes. I tried to register for five classes and was wait listed for three of them. I was forced to drop two classes because of the number of students that were wait listed. I was fortunate enough to get into math after about two weeks of regular attendance enough people had dropped so that I had a spot. About ten people could not get in. It is a constant competition now to try and get into classes when even the online classes are not available because they are full. Tutoring services at Cabrillo for math and English have also been cut making it more difficult for students who these services unavailable or limited.

           

            A nation with no education is a nation without privilege. It is logical to say that those who have higher educations succeed economically than those who hold no education at all. This is because in our society we believe and trust that people who hold degrees in a certain field are experts in what they have learned and are able to execute what they know without errors. I know this is true because I would never trust a doctor to examine me without an education. And no one I know would trust a dentist to operate on them or a clinical psychologist to diagnose them without a degree in that field. English teachers would rarely be taken seriously if they did not hold English degrees from college. Our whole world is connected  to education. Coincidentally  people who hold any degree at all earn higher salaries. Taking the first steps to a higher education is already a loose guarantee to an economic foundation. A person's economic status should not dictate whether or not they should be able to further their education. Poor or rich everyone deserves a chance to be educated. Education is indispensable; it goes hand in hand with opportunity and success.