“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize,” Franklin D. Roosevelt once said.

However, due to continuous budget cuts, education is becoming a privilege that many students can no longer afford.

As we all know, our economy as a state or even as a country is not very good. Many times students pay the consequences when colleges and universities begin to face budget reductions.

According to the proposed budget reduction by Gov. Jerry Brown, community colleges could face budget cuts of at least $400 million.

One thing that’s for sure is that starting next semester, all community colleges in California will have a $10 fee increase in tuition.

For many students, this amount doesn’t seem like a lot, but to students like me, without any financial aid, it could really make a difference.

Reasons why students don’t qualify for financial aid are many, from students who still live with their parents, those with property under their name or are simply not well informed.

But regardless of the reasons why, we are all forced to pay for our classes with our own money.

Increasing tuition will not only limit the amount of classes we take, but also the amount of time we put into them, and that’s because many of us will be forced to find a job, or get a second job. What scares me the most is to know that fees will continue to go up.

Many years ago, when community colleges started, they offered free education, then it went up to $5 per unit. In spring 2003, students used to pay only $11 per unit, and now in fall 2011 they will be paying $36.

We currently live in a world where a high school diploma isn’t enough to get a well paying job, because more jobs are asking for a bachelor’s degree.

Since I was in middle school, I was told how important it is to attend college and that we are supposed to follow our dreams and stay in school.

But how, if paying for an education is harder than ever.

If $36 per unit wasn’t enough, we are told that tuition could raise up to $66, and even when students receive financial aid, it seems unfair that tuition keeps going up while financial aid doesn’t.

Yes, there is always the option of a part-time job, but that only makes it harder to focus on college.

Education has always been a priority to me, and hopefully next year I will be going to transfer to Cal State Fullerton.

I’ve managed to keep a 3.5 transfer GPA mainly because I didn’t have to worry about a job while attending college.

I’m lucky enough to have my parents help me and I only work during summer and winter break, but not everyone can do this.

This is why education should not be at the top of the list when it comes to financial cuts.

Although the $10 fee increase doesn’t apply to Cal States or UCs, they’ll be facing their own budget cuts.

Brown’s proposed budget cut could have both systems facing a $500 million budget cut for next year, while tuition keeps rising.

What will happen when students are ready to transfer?

Some won’t. Why? Because they can’t pay for it.

Now that I plan to transfer, I’m not only worried about the process itself but about how I’m going to afford it.