A Transformational Investment in California's Future
Gary Michelson on Governor Newsom’s Revised Budget Proposal
California Governor Gavin Newsom releases May revision to state budget (Image by @AmeliaJean)
LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2021—Gary K. Michelson, M.D., founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies and the Michelson Center for Public Policy, issued the following statement on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal for 2021-22:
“We stand in awe of Governor Newsom’s visionary commitment to increase college affordability in California. In a system where textbooks cost more than tuition at a time when students are struggling with food and housing insecurity, they can ill afford to be taken advantage of. The Governor heard their cries for relief, and his proposal will not only address this crisis now but well into the future. This investment is a critical step towards repairing a broken system. Beyond saving money, students enrolled in ZTC degree programs perform better in courses. The Governor’s proposal will ensure the cost of textbooks is not a barrier to success and completion for California’s community college students. These graduates will be essential to rebuilding our economy.”
As one of several "catalytic investments to make generational change," Governor Newsom proposed an increase of $100 million to expand the Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree (ZTC) program. ZTC programs allow California Community College students to progress through complete degree pathways without paying anything for textbooks and other costly learning materials. By utilizing high-quality, peer-reviewed open educational resources, research shows that every dollar invested into the ZTC program realized more than $8 in student savings while also improving grades for those enrolled in these programs.
“We want to deal with the racket... that is the textbook industry,” said Governor Gavin Newsom, adding that it “is abusive to common sense and mindset in terms of the usury nature of the costs associated with textbooks that make no sense whatsoever except to those that are the beneficiaries of huge rewards on the backs of our children.”
This proposed investment is in addition to the $15 million the Newsom administration announced in January for ZTC – a nearly eight-fold increase. If this proposal is included as part of the 2021-22 State Budget, it will provide a total of $115 million one-time investment to develop, implement and expand ZTC degrees and open educational resources to reduce the overall cost of education for students attending community college.
Originally published on michelsonpolicy.org.