CSUN University News Clippings

Editorial: Only CSU’s expectations cut

(November 26, 2008)

An Orange County Register editorial

Complainers lament that the state’s so-called budget deficitis projected to be $28 billion over the next 20 months. They also complain about so-called shortfalls, which mean having less money than someone hoped to spend. The shortfall du jour is $66 million in “midyear cuts” proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for Cal State University’s 23 campuses.

Both complaints assume a particular level of funding is necessary, even though the state never in its history spent that much before. It’s also assumed that anything less would deny people what they rightfully have coming.

So-called “cuts” are a lot like so-called deficits and so-called shortfalls. They often are really only less money than someone desired, not less money than was previously spent. Such is the case here.

The Cal State University budget “provides total funding from all sources of $4.5 billion … an increase of $132.8 million or 3 percent above the 2007-08 level,” according to the state’s budget Web site.

What exactly then will these $66 million in cuts actually cut? They will cut someone’s expectation of how much morewas going to be spent than was spent before. In plain language that means a smaller increase, not a year-over-year spending reduction.

A sagging economy has resulted in less tax revenue than hoped for in Sacramento. But why did the Legislature and governor, who knew the economy was sagging and likely to sag even more, plan to spend money they knew wasn’t likely to materialize?

Could it be because when so-called shortfalls arrive, as they inevitably will, the Legislature and governor can lament aloud that drastic “cuts” must be made – unless people agree to more taxes?

Solutions being considered by state college trustees are portrayed as Draconian. Some students, who barely qualify academically for admission to the 450,000-student Cal State system, may be turned away. High school graduates must have taken college-prep courses and have a B average – unless they score well enough on standardized tests. In that case, even C students can be admitted.

But who says C students must be admitted to a four-year college? For that matter, why must someone other than the C student be forced to pay for the C student to go to college?

The alleged “cost” of attending a state college is about $3,800 in annual tuition. But anyone familiar with private college tuitions recognizes $3,800 as a bargain-basement deal, about one-tenth what it costs to attend many nonpublic schools. Cal State professors earn nearly as much as private college professors. Some earn more. So how can the state charge so much less and pay its teachers about the same?

The answer is that the real cost is subsidized with tax money. No student pays more than a small fraction. Public education is a world where deficits often aren’t really deficits, cuts aren’t really cuts, costs are underreported and someone else pays to make up the difference. Is it any wonder the state operates $28 billion in the red.

Publication: Orange County Register