The Council of University of California Faculty Associations Opposes Proposition 1A
Proposition 1A: Part of the problem, not part of a solution.
The Council of University of California Faculty Associations announced today that it opposes Proposition 1A on the May 19 Special Election ballot. Proposition 1A would exacerbate the structural deficiencies in California government, which already make it impossible for elected representatives to govern effectively and provide for the needs of California's citizens. And Proposition 1A would lock in the present inadequate levels of state support for public higher education that are forcing California families to pay higher tuition and fees for a lower quality education.
Proposition 1A will also make it all but impossible for future public leaders to solve the problems that California faces.
According to the Council, years of budget cuts have decreased the State contribution to the University of California by 40% on a per student basis. This has already seriously undermined the University's capacity to deliver high quality education to the state's eligible students and has forced huge student fee increases.
The Council’s Board of Officers voted unanimously to oppose Prop 1A, stating that "the long-term, high priority goal of the State and the University should be a return to the healthier per student State support of year 2000, and this flawed initiative would prevent that."
The Council, whose membership includes 800 professors in faculty associations on six University of California campuses, is committed to restoring the promise of the California Master Plan to provide the highest quality education, preserve healthy and stable institutions of higher education, maintain public access to those institutions, assure adequate public investment to meet these goals, and ensure accountability to the public. "Previous generations of students have benefited from this vision and have guided the State to a leading intellectual and economic position in the world,” said Joe Kiskis, the Council’s Vice President of External Affairs.
"Today’s students deserve the same opportunities California provided their parents. California depends upon it. The restrictions in Proposition 1A would make it impossible to achieve that goal, therefore CUCFA will actively work to defeat this ill-conceived proposition by explaining the flaws to our statewide membership."