Student fees a bargain

Re "College cutbacks protested" (Capitol & California, March 17): California community college students should be very thankful and enjoy the low cost of attending California community colleges. I teach part time at a local community college and the 22 students I have in my class pay a total of $1,760 ($80 each for the four-unit class). At that rate, they don't even pay enough to cover my salary, providing only 36 percent of what I'm paid. That doesn't account for all the other costs related to running an institution of higher learning – lab equipment, lab materials, police, maintenance, administration, buildings, insurance, etc.

In California, the student fees are set to pay about 15 percent of the total cost of higher education. The other 85 percent is covered by California taxpayers. I think the students in California should be very, very quiet and take advantage of the good deal they have. The fees should be considerably more and will probably increase as a result of this shortfall.

– Albert Rose, Lincoln

No cause for celebration

Re "Colleges fare well, remain very low-cost" (Capitol & California, March 17): Dan Walters' assertion that Monday's protest by several thousand college students against rising fees should have "been a celebration of gratitude" was not "in context."

Context: California was the only state that did not receive a failing grade on affordability in the nation's higher education report card.

Once No. 1 in the world, educational attainment has dropped to seventh place, and to the bottom half globally for completion (16th among 27 countries). In a global marketplace, this has long-term economic implications. The report clearly states, "What is at risk is America's future educational and economic leadership."

When Walters says that Californians get a "bargain" compared with New Mexico, he failed to mention that New Mexico students received a D-minus grade for college preparation, a D for completion, an I for learning, and a C-minus for affordability.

The report goes on to say that, "Even after all financial aid is taken into account, students and their families must devote an increasing share of their income and borrow more to pay for a year of college education at almost all public and private two- and four-year campuses. Only the wealthiest of American families are exempted from declining college affordability."

This is cause for celebration?

– Bonnie Hale, Palo Alto

Institute for Civic and Community Engagement,

San Francisco State University

Affordability is the key

Dan Walters tries to put California community college and state university fees "in context" presumably to allay "students' major concern." The context he employs, a comparison with higher education fees nationally, is not likely to ease students' concerns because the comparison is beside the point.

A more relevant comparison is found in the June 2008 report of the California Post-secondary Education Commission: In 1975, low-income and middle-income families needed respectively 17 weeks and seven weeks of income to see one of their family members through a year's worth of state university education. By 2005, a low-income family needed to fork over 29 weeks of income while the middle-income family's contribution rose to 11 weeks for a year's learning. The relevant context is not whether higher education fees in California are cheaper than in other states, but whether people living in California can afford to go to college or university at all.

– Bob Jensen, Fair Oaks

professor, CSU, Sacramento

No way to run a county

Re "County's red ink hits $168 million" (Our Region, March 14): Sacramento County Executive Terry Schutten is employed by taxpayers to accept responsibility and do a good job. The Board of Supervisors is elected to oversee him and answer to the public. I'm hearing excuses. It has been pretty obvious for a long time that property and sales tax would decline greatly. Our elected officials supported a $700,000 rabbit for a ridiculous airport plan. Roger Dickinson was sorry the county would lose a million by tearing down the airport hotel. He wants us to vote him a state position?