Saturday, March 27, 2010

California Student Aid Commission Commends Federal Student Aid Legislation -- RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

California Student Aid Commission Commends Federal Student Aid Legislation

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Student Aid Commission today publicly acclaimed the landmark passage of the "Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010", which enacts sweeping reforms in federal student loan programs.

The legislation allocates $36 billion over 10 years to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship to $5,550 in 2010 and to $5,975 by 2017. Starting in 2013, the scholarship will be linked to match rising costs-of-living by indexing it to the Consumer Price Index.

Executive Director Diana Fuentes-Michel commented: "The Pell Grant increases are an important adjunct to our existingCal Grant financial aid programs and will open the door to increased educational prospects for California's low income population."

The Commission previously unanimously endorsed President Obama's proposals to increase Pell grants for students by issuing new federal student loans through the Direct Loan Program, while saving taxpayers billions of dollars by eliminating subsidies for banking industry lenders.

Director Fuentes-Michel also noted, "This historic measure offers hope, access and opportunity for students to earn the education they need to advance in this economic recession. Given the fee increases to our state colleges and universities, the passage of the federal student loan reforms is well timed, and offers valuable additional financial aid avenues for our future workforce."

In addition to the Pell Grant increase, the legislation includes important funding for the College Access Challenge Grant

Textbook flap staying in Texas - Local - SanLuisObispo.com

Textbook flap staying in Texas

Fight over new social studies curriculum won’t affect the local school system, county superintendent says

By Bob Cuddy | bcuddy@thetribunenews.com

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The flap over social studies curriculum textbooks that is roiling Texas parents and teachers is not likely to be felt in California, according to county Superintendent of Schools Julian Crocker.

“I don’t think it would have an impact on California,” Crocker told The Tribune. He said the California Board of Education adopts curriculum, and textbook publishers “come in and present their wares.”

The sorts of changes to curriculum that are making headway in Texas “would get ferreted out” in Sacramento, Crocker said.

Adding to the unlikelihood that such textbooks would be used in California is the fact that adoption of curricula is frozen in the state because of budget cuts.

The Texas Board of Education tentatively adopted guidelines March 12 that skew the curriculum to the right, according to published reports. Board President Don McElroy told The New York Times that he and his colleagues are merely trying to move the curriculum back to what they consider the center after a long leftward drift.

Not now, not my education - Opinion

Not now, not my education

Kelly Sheeran

Issue date: 3/26/10 Section: Opinion

Page 1 of 1

Teachers are slowly becoming few in quantity, while the number of students is always going to increase.
If states are not allowed to run a deficit, then of course they must cut spending wherever they can, but wouldn't it make more sense to put more money into education? Not only to account for the ever increasing number of students, but also because the younger, future voters, are being deprived of the knowledge and skills that they will need in order to help this country get back on its feet.
Educated people are the foundation for this nation's success. California has some of the best universities, not just in the nation, but in the world. Diverting funds and attention to possibly the most important aspect of American life could prove to garner some serious consequences.
When you stop and turn on the news these days, you realize that the problems Americans face are just as inflated and daunting as they have been since the American Revolution.
When the 1960's experienced a sudden change from the conservative afraid of the communist lurking underneath their bed to the peace-loving hippy, the government began to fear the younger generations.
A few college students misbehaved and if they happened to go to Berkeley 40 years ago, or even worse, Kent State, then they received a bullet from a government afraid of what a group of furious college kids were capable of.
Today, college students may be fed up with the wars, but violent protests just don't seem to be worth it anymore. Students, especially in California, are instead clinging on to the one

When the Rich wage war - Opinion

When the Rich wage war
Aaron Ruiz
Issue date: 3/25/10 Section: Opinion
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Wait, what year is it? Protests throughout the state, historical bills being passed by the president, a war going on that many disapprove of, is it 1969 or 2010?

Well, it's 2010 folks, but it feels like things are changing once again for the citizens of the U.S. and once again the students are the ones getting most upset.

Recently many students and teachers joined campuses across the state to protest and rally against the budget cuts to our education.

Gov. Schwarz-enegger's recent 2010-2011 state budget plan announcement of $2.5 billion in cuts to schools and colleges has caused pandemonium for students, teachers and other staff because what is at stake for them is a chance for a legitimate education and their jobs.

Students enroll in school to escape their hometowns and to become a successful person in life, but the Governator is making it really hard for any of us to transfer to a university and further our education.

Over the past two years, more than $17 billion has been cut from California public schools and colleges. And we wonder why we couldn't enroll in that one class that we oh so desperately needed to transfer.

Maybe we haven't actually felt the effect of the budget cuts yet, but they're coming. We will notice classroom sizes expanded, we will discover the difficulties of trying to transfer to a university, we will notice certain classes cut all together, especially in arts,

San Jos�City College Times

‘March in March’ rallied thousands of students to state capitol

Protestors tell legislators to ‘save our schools’

March 26, 2010

by CHARLES BECKER
TIMES STAFF

Thousands of students from CSU and community colleges across California met in Sacramento on March 22 to protest slashes in education and increases in tuition.

Raley Field was a palette of school colors, as thousands of students crammed into the ballpark’s parking lot. Participants left the premise after the last bus arrived at 9 a.m. from a sister college in southern California.

The crowd of protestors set a brisk pace down West Capitol avenue, chanting slogans such as “save our schools” with police officers blocking approximately two miles of congested roadway until they arrived at the West Steps of the Capitol.

The California State Student Association and California Assembly members then addressed student grievances and gave a mission statement.

The message was clear: education should be the state’s No. 1 priority and it should be free or highly subsidized.

“We need to demand that higher education become a priority in our state again,” said Steve Dixon, president of the CSSA, to an attentive audience of 15,000 students.

His agenda was followed by emotional speeches from student representatives of the CSSA.

“Most families, like my own, work part time jobs that barely pay for the basic necessities,” said Jamie Lopez, a communication major from Sacramento State. “But, somehow I was still denied financial aid for college.”

Lopez’s comments led to an eruption of “si, se puede” or “yes, we can” chants from the crowd.

The problem with securing financial aid for low-income students raised concerns about the inequity in the California education system.

“Education should not be limited to the rich and wealthy … it should be a civil right,” said Alberto Torrico, the assembly majority leader.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010