All across the country, education is under attack. State governments have slashed the budgets of public universities, raised tuition, and cut jobs. Just last month, the University of California Board of Regents decided to increase tuition by 32% - that means students will have to pay $2,500 more each year. Students in the State and City Universities of New York have also endured tuition hikes for each of the last three semesters; a new round of cuts totaling almost $150 million is now on the table. But these are only the most recent examples.
We know that the money is there! Trillions, yes, trillions, have been handed to warmakers and big banks. At a time when enrollment in community colleges and job training programs is at an all-time high, state governments are cutting the funding! They use as their excuse the loss of tax revenue resulting from the current economic crisis. Capitalism cares about short-term profits, and public education isn’t a profitable “industry.”
But we have to make it clear: We didn’t make this crisis, and we won’t pay for it! It was the billionaires on Wall Street who caused this, not the students, educators, and parents. We need a public education system that offers free, quality education for all. Not just so we can be prepared for a harsh life under American capitalism, but so we can learn about the things that interest us and grow as human beings.
Students in California have shown the way through militant action. They’ve occupied buildings and staged massive demonstrations on the Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and Davis campuses. For March 4, student groups and teachers’ unions across California have called a statewide day of action. But they are not alone!
This call has been actively supported by students and educators in New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois, and across the country. The call has now gone out for March 4 to become a national day of action in defense of education. Get in touch with Socialist Alternative to find out what’s going on in your area. Be a part of the fight to take back education and run it in the interests of students, workers, and the community - not for capitalists and their politicians! We demand:
- No Cuts, Layoffs, Fee or Tuition Hikes
- Fund Human Needs, Not War and Wall Street
- For a Federal Bailout of State Budgets
- Build Actions on March 4 to Defend Education and Tax the Rich!
