(Jan. 8, 2010)

In his state-of-the-state address on Jan. 6, 2010, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered some hope to community college students when he promised a constitutional amendment that would require the state to spend a higher percentage on higher education than on prisons. However, facing a huge budget deficit in the coming year, Californians must brace for draconian cuts to all services – including education.

The following is an excerpt from the Gov.’s speech:

“And we can no longer afford to cut higher education either. The priorities have become out of whack over the years. Thirty years ago 10 percent of the general fund went to higher education and 3 percent went to prisons. Today almost 11 percent goes to prisons and only 7 1/2 percent goes to higher education. Spending 45 percent more on prisons than universities is no way to proceed into the future. What does it say about a state that focuses more on prison uniforms than caps and gowns? It simply is not healthy. I will submit to you a constitutional amendment so that never again do we spend a greater percentage of our money on prisons than on higher education.”