PROP
92

Proposition 92 does not raise taxes. It lowers community college fees to $15 per unit and limits future fee increases. In 2004, the Legislature hiked fees to $26 per unit. This resulted in 305,000 fewer Californians enrolling in community college. That hurt California. Proposition 92 won’t allow that to happen again.

“Whenever there is a tight budget, it seems that community colleges suffer the most even though the system is by far the most efficiently run in California . . .” Contra Costa Times, April 30, 2007

CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES GENERATE MORE THAN THEY COST. For every $1 the state spends on community colleges, the colleges generate $3 back to the state budget as millions of graduates earn better wages. A full-time community college student costs less than half what the state spends on a CSU student and only one-third of what the state spends on a UC student.

“. . . [C]ommunity colleges remain the best educational bargain around. Community colleges need our help . . .” Ventura County Star, March 8, 2007

CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE THE GATEWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS. Community college students who earned a vocational degree or certificate see their wages jump from $25,600 to $47,571 three years after earning their degree.

70% of all Californians attending college are enrolled in a community college. The average student is a 28-year-old working Californian. 60% of the students are women. 30% of all Latinos in America attending college are enrolled in a California Community College. There are 241,000 Californians from Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds. And 90,000 more African American students in community colleges than in the CSU and UC systems combined.

“Our community college system faces many challenges . . . but it’s getting the job done. It’s high-time California stopped snubbing its community-college system.” San Francisco Chronicle, March 21, 2007

CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR ECONOMY. By the year 2025 California will need 39% of the workforce to have a college education. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said, “Community colleges are America’s economic engine.”

“Passing the Community College Initiative will offer more affordable and accessible academic and vocational education . . . without raising taxes.” Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento

Proposition 92 guarantees the community college system independence from state politics. The Community College League of California supports Proposition 92.

Proposition 92 guarantees minimum funding will grow as the college-age population grows so students are not turned away. The Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges supports Proposition 92.

Proposition 92 guarantees that the lower $15 per unit fees can only be raised as Californians’ personal income grows . . . but never by more than 10%. The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild supports Proposition 92.

Proposition 92 guarantees that Proposition 98 funding for K–12 schools is protected. The California Federation of Teachers supports Proposition 92.

Proposition 92 lowers community college fees . . . AND GIVES EVERY CALIFORNIAN THE CHANCE TO GO TO COLLEGE. Vote YES on 92. It doesn’t raise taxes.

WILLIAM HEWITT, President
Faculty Association of California
 Community Colleges

REBECCA J. GARCÍA, President
California Community College Trustees

DENNIS SMITH, Secretary Treasurer
California Federation of Teachers

Proposition 92 Is Not What It Seems.

We all support our community colleges, but Prop. 92 is not the answer. If it were truly written to improve our community colleges, many of us would support it. Unfortunately, it’s flawed and deserves a “no” vote.

Prop. 92 contains huge state spending increases—with no way to pay for it!

Prop. 92 locks huge spending increases into California’s Constitution—a half a billion dollars over the first three years (source: California Legislative Analyst)—without a way to pay for it. Politicians will have to get the money somewhere—either by raising taxes or cutting other critical programs.

Prop. 92 will worsen California’s budget crisis.

California’s budget deficit is projected to be over $8 billion next year and Proposition 92 will make matters worse. Can California really afford to further stress a state budget which already struggles to fund public education, healthcare, public safety?

Proposition 92 contains no audits, no penalties for misusing funds, and nothing to ensure money will ever get into college classrooms!

Proponents say 92 guarantees independence from state politics but what it really guarantees is independence from ANY accountability. 92 creates an expanded community college board and lets them set salaries and benefits for additional bureaucrats and administrators with no independent oversight. Taxpayers won’t know how the funds are spent!

We support community colleges, but Prop. 92 could actually result in funding cuts for K–12 schools, state colleges, and universities.

Teachers, employers, and taxpayers urge "no" on 92!

ALLAN ZAREMBERG, President
California Chamber of Commerce

JOEL FOX, President
Small Business Action Committee

TERESA CASAZZA, Acting President
California Taxpayers’ Association

PROPOSITION 92 IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.

IT WOULD CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT COULD EVER SOLVE AND DESERVES YOUR “NO” VOTE.

The question before voters is NOT whether community colleges are important. We are all strong supporters of our community college system.

Instead, the real question is whether California can afford to lock a huge new spending mandate into our Constitution that:

• Contains no accountability provisions to make sure the money ends up in the college classroom instead of being wasted on bureaucracy or administration; and that could jeopardize funding for K–12 schools, healthcare, and law enforcement.

A broad coalition of classroom teachers, other educators, and taxpayer and business groups have studied this proposal and concluded that Proposition 92 is flawed and a bad deal for our children and for California. Here’s why:

PROPOSITION 92 HAS NO ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS TO MAKE SURE THE MONEY GETS INTO CLASSROOMS.

• It mandates hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer spending with no assurances the new money wouldn’t be wasted on more bureaucracy and administrative “overhead.” Under Proposition 92, taxpayers will never know how the funds are really spent.
• It doesn't dedicate the money to specific purposes like computers, books, and labs. It requires NO public audits and contains NO penalties for misusing the funds.
• It amounts to a blank taxpayer check that could be spent to hire even more bureaucrats and administrators, give them huge raises, or build them extravagant offices.

PROPOSITION 92 MANDATES TAXPAYER SPENDING WITHOUT A WAY TO PAY FOR IT.

• Nowhere in the measure does it identify a way to pay for all the new spending. The politicians would be left to decide. They could raise the sales tax or put new taxes on other items or even increase our income taxes to raise the money this measure would require. Or, they could cut education funding, including K–12 schools.
• We all want to make sure our public schools and colleges have the funds they need to teach our children, but this initiative gives community colleges preferential treatment. It doesn't make sense to spend $70 million to roll back fees that are already the lowest in the nation (just $20 a unit—and a third of the national average) and then ask taxpayers to pay more or cut funding for other critical needs.

THE STATE HAS MANY OTHER PRESSING NEEDS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED, LIKE FUNDING K–12 SCHOOLS, HEALTHCARE, AND PUBLIC SAFETY.

• California still faces chronic budget deficits–projected to be more than 5 billion dollars in 2008. Proposition 92 would make it even worse.
• We should not lock new spending requirements into our Constitution at the expense of our children's education, our healthcare, and law enforcement.

THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGES WITHOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY PROPOSITION 92.

Proposition 92 is the wrong way to go.

Please join us in voting "NO" on Proposition 92.

DAVID A. SANCHEZ, President
California Teachers Association

BILL HAUCK, President
California Business Roundtable

TERESA CASAZZA, Acting  President
California Taxpayers’ Association

The opponents of Proposition 92 say rolling back community college fees “doesn’t make sense.”

WE ARE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS AND WE DISAGREE. In 2003–04, when the Legislature hiked fees from $11 to $26 per unit, 305,000 fewer students attended California community colleges.

The opponents of Proposition 92 say we should let the Legislature continue to make all of the decisions. That’s easy for them to say . . . THEY ALL HIRE LOBBYISTS TO FIGHT FOR THEM. Community college students don’t have lobbyists . . . but we do have you, the voters.

PROPOSITION 92 DOESN’T RAISE YOUR TAXES . . . IT LOWERS OUR FEES. State law requires the non-partisan Legislative Analyst to highlight any tax increases in Proposition 92, but look carefully. There is nothing to highlight because it doesn’t raise taxes.

PROPOSITION 92 GIVES EVERY CALIFORNIAN A CHANCE TO GO TO COLLEGE. Community college graduates become our nurses, firefighters, and police officers. After completing school, community college graduates earn $47,571 . . . but only $25,600 if they don’t.

PROPOSITION 92 PROTECTS ACCOUNTABILITY LAWS—GUARANTEEING THAT THE MONEY IS SPENT IN THE CLASSROOM.

Skyrocketing community college fees are nothing more than a tax on us—community college students. We are parents, veterans back from Iraq, and first generation college students working our way through school for a better life.

We work at minimum wage jobs so we can afford books, pay rent, raise families . . . and finish college.

PLEASE VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 92 AND LOWER OUR FEES SO MORE CALIFORNIANS CAN GO TO COLLEGE. THANK YOU.

STEFAN LEE, Student
Sacramento City College

VALERIE NOVAK, Student
San Joaquin Delta College

SAMUEL AGUILAR III, Student
College of the Desert