After a year of ongoing budget cuts and crippling tuition hikes, San Diego State students finally have something to celebrate. Proposition 30 was passed on Nov. 6, which will attempt to staunch the flow of funds from the California State University system.
Gov. Jerry Brown was eager to fulfill promises hinging on the passage of Proposition 30, which passed on a 54 percent to 46 percent approval rate, and met with state university officials the following day to approve immediate tuition rollbacks throughout the 23 CSU campuses. Proposition 30 will temporarily raise sales and income taxes to avoid a proposed $250 million midyear budget cut.
“The election was a clear and resounding victory for children, schools and the California dream,” Brown said during a press conference the day after the election. “Instead of the state borrowing, hat in hand, from our school districts, we’re going to have enough money to fund the schools as our constitution requires.”
Proposition 30’s victory came at a crucial time for CSU students, staving off additional hikes and “incentive fees” university officials were considering implementing, which were meant to encourage students to graduate more quickly. However, following election night, Brown urged officials to shelve these fees pending further study.
“Right after the election is no time to be raising fees of any kind,” Brown told the CSU Board of Trustees. “Voters gave us a billion dollars in new revenues and now we have to use that very judiciously.”
Some students are optimistic, yet cautious about Proposition 30’s approval.
“I’m glad they rescinded (the incentive fees) and decided they would discuss it later … I think, hopefully, if Sacramento does their job, it will bring revenue to us,” mechanical engineering junior Matthew Lane said.
Fellow mechanical engineering junior Ebun Jones agreed the passage of Proposition 30 can be a good thing “as long as they don’t redirect the funds elsewhere and take it away from college…It shouldn’t cost this much to get an education – anywhere. I’m glad it got passed and hopefully they’ll do the right thing with it and tuition doesn’t keep going up.”
