Education

             Education is one of the major concerns in California. Education does not guarantee a future but it does guarantee a fifty percent more chance of finding a decent job. There is a huge problem, education is expensive and not all people can afford it. The government wants people to study, but is taking away the few opportunities that are in the schools, especially the help to community colleges. Why is the government doing this? Because the United States is in war and they need more money to make more bombs. This is just an illogic decision that the government has taken. Financial crisis in California is impacting education enormously. Budget cuts in College of the Desert are affecting teachers and students.
             Because of the budget cuts in College of the Desert many courses will not be available the coming semester. Summer school for example, offers one hundred and sixty courses, but because of the cuts there will be only sixty courses available. For example, from thirty math classes that were offered in summer only eight of them will be available. Each semester sixty courses will not be available starting fall two thousand three. Two hundred and twenty courses will be drop this coming year. Maria Sheehan, superintendent/President of College of the Desert expressed, "talking fifteen percent from an eighty five percent fixed budget we cannot turn on the lights- it can really be done!".
             There is a big surprise for the college, more cuts at the midyear. An additional thirty eight million is being cut from their current budget. According with Juan M. Lujan September is the month where the college will receive an exact budget cut, but the estimate is around four point two million dollars. "This is beyond absurd," said Dr. Maria Sheehan. The cuts would have to be made from the current fiscal year, which has less than four months remaining. Why was this decision made at the end of the fiscal year? We might never know, but it was not the best decision.