Proposition 30’s passage in California’s 2012 general election would prevent about $21 million in cuts to Sacramento State, said Sac State’s President Alexander Gonzalez at a Proposition 30 forum held earlier this month.

This would, in turn, keep tuition fees from rising as well as preventing enrollment to Sac State from decreasing.

The approved tuition fee hike of an additional $150 for both spring and fall semesters would not occur if Prop. 30 passed.

With 13 propositions on this year’s ballot, it may be difficult to keep track of what each one of them does.

Ryan Griffin, a junior criminal justice major, said he attended the forum for extra credit in his government class. Griffin said he only knew about Prop. 30 because his instructor offered the extra credit, but even then said he only knew that it had something to do with public education.

His unfamiliarity is understandable considering how politics, outside of presidential elections, usually are not a major concern for college students.

If the proposition were passed there are two ways it would generate revenue for the state.

Personal income tax rates would increase for seven years on individuals who make more than $250,000 and sales tax would increase by .25 percent for four years.

Some students may oppose Prop. 30 because of the .25 percent increase in sales tax, but those that would oppose it the most would likely be students from families that make over $250,000.

Dr. Hans Johnson from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit nonpartisan think tank, gave some insight during his keynote address at the forum as to why people who make more than $250,000 may want to vote for Prop. 30.

Using projections made by the Public Policy Institute of California for the year 2025, Johnson said there will be a future skill gap in California.

The projections suggest in 2025 about 35 percent of Californians will have a college degree, but more than four in 10 jobs will need a degree. This mismatch will create a shortfall of about a million graduates, thus creating the skill gap and negatively affecting California’s prosperity.

Johnson said from a mathematical standpoint there are three ways to fix this: increasing enrollment rates, increasing transfer rates and increasing graduation rates.

The passing of Prop. 30 would help with the enrollment as the number of students accepted into Sac State would not have to be decreased due to the cuts.

$21 million is just how much will be cut from Sac State should Prop. 30 not pass. The entire CSU system will have to find a way to cut $250 million if the proposition does not pass.

The $250 million Prop. 30 would stop is a lot, but if you look at the shortfall that the CSU system faces, it’s about $420 million and that doesn’t include unfunded mandates.

“If (Prop. 30) passes, it will temporarily stop the bleeding. That’s all it will do,” Gonzalez said.

Prop. 30 will not magically fix the funding of the educational system in California, but it may be the temporary relief needed until a plan of action can be put together.

William Miles can be reached at [email protected]