The Blame Game: Public College Tuition Hikes

University of California students are facing a 32 percent tuition hike. And they are mad--hundreds of students took a stand again last week protesting the university's decision to raise tuition. But they might have considered protesting the state legislature instead, points out this Wall Street Journal op-ed. The gap faced by UC President Mark Yudof can be attributed, in part, to large compensation packages won from the state by unions.
 
In the last decade, government worker pension costs (not including health care) have risen to $3 billion from $150 million, a 2,000% jump, while state revenues have increased by 24%. Because the stock market didn't grow the way the legislature predicted in 1999, the only way to cover the skyrocketing costs of these defined-benefit pension plans has been to cut other programs (and increase taxes).
 
This year alone $3 billion was diverted from other programs to fund pensions, including more than $800 million from the UC system. It is becoming clear that in the most strapped liberal states there's a pecking order: Unions get the lifeboats, and everyone else gets thrown over the side. Sorry, kids.
 
The moral of the editorial: With November elections looming, organize now to bring in some fresh blood to the state legislature, and fight for pension reform and a reordering of priorities.
 
Learn more about the tuition hike and how it is impacting lower-income students.
 
(Photo credit: Poppyseed Bandits; C.C. 2.0)