Political Rivalries Plague Fight over Public University Funding

Political Rivalries Plague Fight over Public University Funding

California politicians are being accused of bringing personal rivalries into the fight over tuition hikes for California’s public UC and CSU systems, despite Californians’ opposition to increased taxes or increased tuition prices to maintain current funding.

On Tuesday, California State Senate president pro tempore Kevin de León proposed legislation to prevent a tuition hike and eliminate a new middle-class scholarship program a de León political adversary advocated for, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown has been fighting University of California Board of Regents President Janet Napolitano over her consideration of raising UC students’ tuition costs, as Breitbart California reported in November. 

The governor proposed an alternate funding option as a compromise.

A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) suggests that Californians think the public university system is underfunded, but do not want higher tuition or higher taxes to make up the shortfall.

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana

Photo: AP

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