Poll: Flunking Grades for Governor, Legislature on Higher Education

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From CPR Staff Reports

A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California gave the governor and state lawmakers low grades for their handling of higher education.

The poll comes as California State University announces drastic plans to reduce enrollment by 40,000 students and in the wake of record tuition hikes and enrollment cuts at the University of California.

California’s Community Colleges are reeling under the double whammy of state funding cuts  and increasing enrollment demand as students crowded out of UC and CSU attempt, with diminishing success, to find space in courses at local community colleges.

Californians gave Governor Schwarzenegger an overall 28 percent approval rating, tying his record low approval in a July 2009 PPIC poll. The state legislature rated even worse, with overall approval of 18 percent.

The governor and state lawmakers fared even worse with regard to higher education. Only 21 percent approved of Schwarzenegger’s handling of higher education and 16 percent approved of the legislature’s work in this field.

The poll found that 62 percent of Californians are very concerned about student tuition and fee increases, and 57 percent are very concerned about student enrollment cuts. Nearly half (48%) of Californians are very concerned about reductions in pay and hours of work for higher education faculty and staff.

Asked about solutions to the higher education funding dilemma, 68 percent oppose hiking tuition or fees, and 56 percent oppose paying higher taxes to generate additional funds for higher education. 67 percent support the concept of a sliding scale for student tuition based on student family income.

The way the poll question was posed, it is no surprise that a small majority said they would not support increasing their own taxes to fund higher education.

The poll did not address specific targeted tax proposals that might have better traction with voters. These include an oil severance tax with revenues earmarked for UC, CSU and Community Colleges, and proposals to repeal some $2.5 billion in new secret corporate tax loopholes enacted by lawmakers at the same time they were slashing education funding in 2008 and 2009.

Many education advocates believe that these targeted tax proposals would prove popular with California voters.

Link here to view the PPIC poll.