Budget Cuts, Education and Incarceration

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing cuts in theCalifornia budget that will force "tough choices" affecting seniors, the poor,students and children.

But the media stories do not talk about how African Americanmen, especially teenagers, could be affected.

The Governor's so-called May Revise dismantles the CalWORKSwelfare to work program and state-supported child care, cuts three quarters ofa billion dollars from In-Home Support Services for the elderly. Andpublic schools, which lost about $17 billion over two years, are likely to behit again as the legislature tries to close a $20 billion gap for fiscal 2011.

Education cuts have reduced enrollment in California's UCand CSU systems, sending more students to community colleges, which also havesmaller budgets. The result is some traditional community college students arebeing turned away and those admitted have a tougher time getting all theclasses they need to graduate.

The cuts to schools are a nightmare to Dr. Joseph Marshall (drj@street-soldiers.org), Presidentof the San Francisco Police Commission and founder of the Omega Boys Club inSan Francisco, which tries to keep young people alive and out of jail byproviding educational opportunities and support.

But, while news organizations are quick to cover crime inpoor neighborhoods, you don't find many talking about how these cuts couldactually increase crime.

"Education has long been looked as a way out of the(neighbor) hood. But the young people walk a fine line between trying to learnwhile not being ostracized for being too smart. The peer pressure starts at ayoung age. Marshall notes that, "generally around middle school the lure of thestreets starts pulling them away."

Those who want to go to college face many obstacles frombeing poor to not having good enough grades to be accepted at a four-yearschool. With the reductions in enrollment at public colleges and universities,it is harder for even good students to get in.

This is not to offer excuses. There are plenty of poor,disadvantaged children who get jobs and become productive members of society.But Marshall believes the governor and legislature don't understand the impacteducation cuts have on some of the kids he sees at the Omega Boys Club.

He gets support from Loren Harris (loren@thinkingmanconsulting.com), President and CEO of Thinking Man Consulting, a NewJersey organization that strives to strengthen families and communities throughinitiatives that explicitly engage men and boys.

Harris said most of the media never look at that part of thestory.

"Policy choices made in Sacramento are going to have a hugeimpact on communities of color," said Harris.  "But news coverage is lacking because, "there is no mandateon reporters to do a better job of covering stories from a race perspective."

It's like a salmon swimming upstream only for these youngpeople it's always upstream.

"There is a direct correlation between the lack of educationand incarceration rates. If these kids want to go to school and can't, there isalways someone saying, 'come on, let's do this instead."

Marshall believes it's a good investment to have funds toeducate those that want it.

"If the governor and legislature don't get it right everyoneloses: these kids, their families and their communities."

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