New state budget should deliver for students - Paul Murre, Sacramento Bee

The decisive role the youth vote played in the passage of Proposition 30 is an indication that students' voices are stronger now more than ever. Now is the right moment for our state government to increase funding for higher education. We have a new opportunity to overcome the structural hurdles that have undermined prior efforts to protect the affordability and quality of our higher education systems. The Democrats have won a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, and proposals that could allow California and its universities back on a path to financial sustainability – like a permanent tax on millionaires and reform of Proposition 13 – could gain new consideration. As a student at San Francisco State University, I have witnessed the devastating effect that budget cuts and tuition increases have had on our higher education systems. With dwindling course offerings imposed by budget cuts, class sizes continue to increase, and it becomes harder to fulfill graduation requirements within four years. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/02/5086487/new-state-budget-should-deliver.html