"No cuts! No fees! Education should be free!"
This chant, and others similar to it, reverberated throughout the campus of San Francisco State University on Thursday. Later in the day, demonstrators yelled it into their loudspeakers as they marched through downtown San Francisco and into Civic Center plaza.
These events were all meant to celebrate and promote the March 4 "Day of Action" that has been long-planned by supporters of California's public education system. The state's record budget deficit (a $20 billion dollar gap this year, coupled with $60 billion from last year) has dramatically impacted all levels of public education in California, from the elementary to graduate level, resulting in crippling spending cuts that have caused great concern for many who believe drastic reform is needed.
PD toolbar!
The public education woes of California hit a fever pitch this past year: last fall, the UC and CSU systems both announced the intention to increase tuition rates more than 30 percent, and in addition to the fee hikes, university staff were furloughed and course offerings were downsized or cut altogether. California's community college system has not been spared, either. And the budget pain is
