Education is a Human Right: AB 955 Makes it a Privilege for the Few

by Peter Mathews, Professor of Political Science, Cypress College

Our Declaration of Independence, written mostly by Thomas Jefferson, claims for us the"...  Rights (to)... Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men...."  Not only was American Government established to guarantee us the Rights to Life and Liberty, but also the Right to our Pursuit of Happiness.

For great philosophers of democracy such as Aristotle and Jefferson, "Happiness" meant fulfillment of our "telos" or purpose in life: the ability to develop our talents fully, reaching our full human potential. If we have the abilities to become doctors, engineers, computer scientists, teachers, nurses, sculptors, or aircraft mechanics, governments have  the responsibility of guaranteeing us the Right and Opportunity to do so. Jefferson, in addition to others such as Horace Mann, John Dewey, Susan B. Anthony, and Harriett Tubman, was a strong proponent of American Public Education, including civic education which enables people to become active, critical thinking citizens.

Governor Pat Brown and University of California President Clark Kerr established the California Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960 to guarantee tuition free/affordable Higher Education to all California high school graduates. The spirit of the Master Plan flourished from 1960 to the early 1980's. Former Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger attended UC Berkeley Law School and Santa Monica College, respectively, tuition free and only paid a small fee-- at UC and Cal State the fee was less than $100 per semester, and at SMC the fee was $6 per semester. When I taught at City College of San Francisco in the 1970's, my students paid $6 fee per semester for a full load of classes!

California's Master Plan provided a high quality tuition free education, enabling each student to Pursue her/his Happiness and full human potential. There were no financial restrictions keeping our students from becoming leaders in various scientific, technical, trade, arts, and professional fields. Therefore, California experienced an economic and technological boom in areas such as Aerospace, High Tech, Alternative Energy and Transportation, and Entertainment.

California reversed direction on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, when Long Beach City College became the first California Community College, by its Board of Trustees 4-0 vote, to implement AB 955 and its $225 per unit tuition fee for its Winter session students. Despite limited financial aid for lower income students, many moderate and middle income students will be left behind.

To ensure equal opportunity,  the California Legislature and Governor must close some of the corporate tax loopholes that are unproductive and use those billions of dollars to fully fund California Public Education, Kindergarten through technical and trade school, apprenticeship programs, and college, university, and professional schools. These corporate tax loopholes include the offshore tax loophole, the stock option tax loophole, and others that cost California billions of dollars annually. Then we can invest this money in education, training, new technology, and small business and job growth, making the California and American Dream a reality!.  ♦