You all have heard about the looming across-the-board cuts known as sequestration that are likely to impact virtually all federal programs, including those of interest to community colleges. Below is a brief picture of how these cuts might influence your campus.
However, the precise nature and impact of sequestration is uncertain. Political interventions might alter sequestration as currently configured, and the sequestration process itself is highly complex, affecting thousands of programs and activities, as well as the operations of the agencies that administer them. That said, sequestration is a political failure, an administrative quagmire, and a blow to the students who rely on federal support to help them attend community college. <Read more.>
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Sequestration Cuts Threaten California’s Comeback.
It’s been a good start to the year for California. We lead the nation in job creation. Our budget is balanced. Unemployment is dropping. Prop 30 stopped devastating cuts to our schools. While we still have a lot of work to dig out from the recession caused by Wall St. greed and excess, there’s no question that California is enjoying a major comeback.
But the California comeback could be short-lived if Republicans in Washington, D.C. continue this insane game they are playing with the so-called “sequestration” cuts. These automatic spending cuts would sap $500 million in federal funding from California putting priorities like education, health care and public safety at risk. The cuts could cost California 225,000 jobs.
According to a report released by the White House today, if the sequestration cuts are allowed to take effect, California will lose approximately $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 1,210 teacher and aide jobs at risk. Another $63 million in funding for children with disabilities will evaporate, leading to hundreds of job cuts for teachers, aides and staff who help those children. In addition, we’ll lose vital job placement and training funds, millions in military funding for our state’s bases and funds for crime prevention (including programs that help reduce domestic violence) and public health.
And these ill-advised cuts hit big states like California and New York much harder than anywhere else.
You’ll notice, these cuts have very little impact on big corporations and the wealthiest among us. Instead it’s working-class and middle-class Californians who are being asked to pay the price for the Republicans’ insistence on cutting Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to pay for tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthiest 2 percent. <Read more.>
Professor Van Ry 