More suffering for education 6/16/2009 12:31 AM Increased tuition at South Carolina's public universities and the cutting of 47 more positions from Aiken County schools are additional signs of the faltering economy and the inability of the state to adequately fund education as well as other governmental agencies.
The University of South Carolina announced that it will hike tuition in the fall by 3.6 percent. USC Aiken will be increasing tuition by 4.9 percent - about $370 per year for full-time in-state students. While the dollar amount may seem small, the increase comes at a time of economic stress for students and their families. For some the $370 may be beyond a tipping point, causing them to drop out of school for a semester or more. We hope that is not the case.
The weak economy also forced a decision by the Aiken County School District to cut several support staff positions from the upcoming budget. That means that 47 people who worked for the district this year will not have those positions in August.
The impact of a poor economy on the coffers of state government is profound. Each month brings more bad news and threats of more cuts to already bare-bones budgets for state agencies. The bad news trickles down to individuals as well, with job layoffs, furloughs and salary decreases hitting hard at South Carolina workers. Unfortunately, cuts to education hit hardest those who need educational services the most - those living in poverty. Unless the economy improves in upcoming months, there will be many more impoverished in our state.
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Comment Title:
Graduating hoards of students into a bankrupt position will quell America's flexibility and creativity. If you are 80,000 dollars in debt upon graduation you are enslaved to the corporate banking system, it is a horror for our youth with your degree comes the loss of your freedom welcome to state sanctioned indentured servitude.
Posted by: On: 6/17/2009
Comment Title:
Dear editors: A college education is not a right as an American. How about asking parents to be more insightful and more fiscally responsible in order to save money for their child's education? How about asking teens to take more responsbility for paying for their education? How about asking these teens how many lawns they cut or cars they washed or groceries they bagged while in high school in order to save money for their college expenses? People need to take some responsibility for themselves.
Posted by: On: 6/16/2009
Comment Title:
Boy, the lottery has really helped education in our state. Tuition has increased 200% since we allowed it in. Well, we tried to tell you the lottery would not work.
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