About 30 percent of first-year students across the United States drop out of college before their second year, according to a report by American Institutes for Research. The dropout rate for California public colleges is about half of that, but the Golden State spends a lot more than others.
Over a five-year period, California spent a total of $466 million on four-year college students who did not return for a second year. Nationally, California collected the most taxpayer money going toward four-year college students who eventually dropped out before their second year. Texas ranked second with $441 million dollars and New York ranked third with $403 million dollars.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell believes the state’s budget cuts — have reduced class availability, increased student fees and reduced college staff — may be the principal barrier that is keeping students from earning their college degree. Students are not only continuously postponing their graduation date due to a smaller selection of classes, but many are also juggling two or more jobs in order to afford their education in the first place.
To those of you whimpering about the nearly half a billion dollars “wasted” on dropouts, now is the time to quit your crying.
State legislatures have recently passed the new 2010-2011 budget designed to increase funding for state colleges. The budget plan will grant Cal State University system with $199 million more than last year, along with state funding to support future enrollment with CSUs receiving $60.6 million, nearly $10 million more than the University of California.
Take that UCI!
UCs and CSUs will also be given $106 million in federal funds. The budget plan will also allow for CSUs to admit a maximum of 30,000 students for the winter, spring and fall 2011 terms.
The vice president for budget of the 10-campus UC system, Patrick Lenz, suggests that with the new budget plan, hiring faculty and providing supplementary courses will now be feasible.
Although the overall funding is still lower than it was three years ago and despite the likelihood that student fees will not be reduced, we should, nonetheless, bask in the splendor of our first restoration of funds since 2007.
However, we must be certain that California’s system higher education will never be the same.
With the new budget plan, students dropping out of college before entering their second year may be less heard of. As course selection, student admission and faculty employment increase, students will have an easier time enrolling in the classes necessary to eventually attain a degree. And, regardless, if student fees are not lowered, graduating in four years may — as it should — be plausible.
It finally seems as though progress may be lurking just around the corner; however, we must not allow our basking to blind ourselves of the academic growth we have yet obtain.
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