Endorsement: Vote yes on Measure LA to invest in community colleges
In the end, Measure LA is the most practical way to expand state funding for California’s community colleges since they weren’t getting a sufficient amount of state funds with the existing formula.
In the end, Measure LA is the most practical way to expand state funding for California’s community colleges since they weren’t getting a sufficient amount of state funds with the existing formula.
California’s community colleges and universities were starved of state funding for decades, while a system of grants and loans meant that they could do little else. Now, thanks to the state Legislature’s passage of Measure LA in 2012, they are finally getting their share.
Measure LA made up just 3 percent of the total increase in the state budget, but it has been a necessary step toward the larger goal of expanding funding for California’s community colleges. It also means the state can no longer use the old formula, the so-called merit payment system, that had given them very little funding and left them with an enormous debt burden.
If approved by voters, Measure LA would take away the debt burden by increasing state appropriations for community colleges to $2.2 billion and directing those funds to pay off loans and grants.
Measure LA is a good start, but it leaves a lot to be desired.
In the end, Measure LA is the most practical way to expand state funding for California’s community colleges since they weren’t getting a sufficient amount of state funds with the existing formula.
In the end, Measure LA is the most practical way to expand state funding for California’s community colleges since they weren’t getting a sufficient amount of state funds with the existing formula.
This measure was one of the first steps in addressing the problem of college funding in California, but it still is a far cry from the ideal measure.
To be fair, there are some good things in the measure.
Expanding state funding for community colleges is certainly needed; the state colleges and universities have been starved for funding for decades. One way of making sure they have enough money would be to change the funding formula, but the bill has not done that: It has simply expanded state funding for them without increasing the amount of state funding.
This measure was one of the first steps in addressing the
