Davis addresses quality of education

By Ana Tintocalis, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 1, 1998

 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gray Davis declared his commitment to reviving the quality of education in California via a teleconference late Wednesday afternoon with students across the state.

During the hour-long conference, the lieutenant governor addressed a variety of issues, but overall stressed the beneficial impact universities statewide have in helping revive public elementary schools, high schools, community colleges and the economy.

Davis said that investing in higher education and making college affordable and accessible for students is his top priority.

To illustrate his point, Davis pointed to his victory in a long uphill battle to stop escalating fees at California universities. His legislative achievement will now provide a five percent, across-the-board reduction in fees within the University of California system and California State University system.

"It took me three years, but the new bill kicks-in this month," Davis said. "The five- percent reduction will be paid back a hundred times over by attracting more students who go on to be productive citizens."

Providing adequate budgetary support of the CSU and

necessary resources to make faculty salaries competitive with other institutions and appointing a Board of Trustees that will ensure high quality education are other issues in Davis' plan to repair the higher education system as governor.

The California Faculty Association, a big supporter of Davis, sees the upcoming elections as the most important in history.

The CFA states that Davis is the most qualified candidate to help put pressure on the trustees to emphasize classroom issues rather than administrative issues.

Davis said that California's education system is at a critical point in time and solutions will not come easy.