Last November, voters went to the polls to help decide what direction they wanted their country, state or city to head in. Although the presidential election may have been the headline, voters in California also had to make a big decision on Proposition 30.

Prop 30, if passed, would have changed the California Constitution to increase sales tax by a quarter of a cent and increase taxes on people that make over $250,000.  It also would have added money to the states education fund where K-12, Cal State Universities and community colleges would have benefited.

The polls opened and the proposition passed avoiding major budget cuts likely to the Education System. But what happens now?

San Diego Mesa College has already enjoyed a few of the benefits.

In a briefing laid out by Mesa College President Pamela T Luster back on Oct. 18, Luster outlined what would happen if Prop 30 passed or failed and how it would affect our school.

“Mesa College, along with other colleges in our district could add back some courses that are currently waiting in the wings to be put in the schedule,” Luster said.

This has held true as the school announced that 200 classes were added throughout the district making it possible for nearly 5,000 students to attend these classes. More students, more classes means more money for our school which can help fund these new buildings and help get teachers supplies to properly instruct.

Not all of the Prop 30 reactions have been positive. Gov. Jerry Brown has not exactly said how the money from the tax increases will be spent.

In Christopher Cadelago’s Jan. 13 article in UT San Diego titled “ Not all Prop. 30 tax hike money going to schools”, he stated that Gov. Brown’s budget was going to include nearly 1.3 billion dollars to state workers which contradicts what Brown said leading up to the election that the new source of revenue would be used to benefit education.

“Few advocates for the tax increase, if any, highlighted the fact that more education dollars would translate into public-employee raises,” Cadelago said.

This is concerning to the people who need this money the most, the students. Higher tuition, less classes and overpopulating class sizes are all affecting us and Prop. 30 money should be spent to clean up what the State Government has already made a mess of, not increase it’s own employees salaries.

Do the right thing Sacramento, we’ll be watching and waiting.