State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Opposes CSU Tuition Increase and Leads New Efforts to Secure Long-Term Funding for California’s Public Colleges and Universities

SACRAMENTO—Today, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees will vote on a plan to increase tuition. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond does not support the tuition increase and believes it will place an unnecessary financial burden on students. “As a state, we should be investing in our students, not placing financial roadblocks in the way of aspiring teachers, school counselors, and the next generation of workers and leaders.”

As State Superintendent and a CSU Trustee, Thurmond has always made students a priority by continuously fighting tuition increases, building more affordable and accessible student housing, removing barriers to education to close equity gaps, and making it easier to transfer to a four-year university from a community college.

If passed, the proposed ongoing, annual tuition increases would be a huge setback for California students and families. This increase, along with high inflation and growing housing costs, will inhibit access to higher education for many California families.

Instead of trying to close budget gaps by raising tuition, Superintendent Thurmond is leading efforts to secure long-term funding for the California community college system, the CSUs, and the University of California to ensure that California can deliver on the promise of accessible, affordable higher education.

Thurmond has convened a workgroup that includes higher education partners, faculty and staff leaders, labor unions, students, and administrators to explore a tax on billionaires that could generate up to $22 billion to provide truly tuition-free opportunities for California students while also ensuring good wages and benefits for the hardworking faculty and staff who make California’s colleges and universities world-class.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100