A common theme of growing enrollment numbers and inadequate funding has prompted local community college officials to unite in launching an initiative to find more money for higher education.
The plan, which will likely spread out over the next few years, is to address both government officials and community members and share with them how community colleges are funded and what issues surround future funding needs, officials said.
“There is a huge amount of student demand for community colleges, and the demand is only going to grow over the next six or seven years,” said Everett Community College president Charlie Earl. “Virtually all of the 34 community and technical colleges in the state are serving more students than they are getting state money for.”
Officials from Edmonds, Everett, Shoreline and Cascadia community colleges later this month plan to join representatives from community colleges across the state to fine-tune the plan. A letter to the community will be sent out within the next few months and forums for community members to discuss the topic also may be scheduled, officials said. In addition, college presidents are taking the issue to the Legislature.
“Our goal is to inform the citizens of the situation, along with the message that we most likely can’t sustain the current situation unless we find additional (funding) resources,” Earl said.
Officials also hope to encourage support for Gov. Gary Locke’s proposed budget, said Jack Oharah Edmonds Community College president. The draft would give Washington’s community colleges a collective $5 million for a general enrollment increase and $10 million to help fund high-demand programs.
While the additional funding wouldn’t stretch very far in the long run, it’s a start.
“It would help considerably, and it’s a step in the right direction,” Oharah said.
Adequate funding for community colleges is not a new concern. Local campuses have overflowed with more students than the state is willing to fund for years and most have raised tuition.
According to officials, the state is funding Edmonds Community College for 4,663 full-time equivalent (FTE) students in the 2003-04 school year at approximately $3,600 per FTE. However, the college is serving an estimated 749FTEs that are not funded by the state, officials said. The college actually has far more students because many attend part-time but the state combines those hours for funding-formula purposes.
Similarly, the state funded Everett Community College for 4,448 FTEs in the 2002-03 school year at approximately $3,400 per FTE. The college served 4,737 FTEs that year, and the numbers continue to climb, college officials said. At Shoreline Community College, the state funded 5,189 FTE’s for the 2002-03 school year at $3,600 per FTE. The college enrolled an additional 291 FTEs that were not covered by state funding, the highest excess enrollment for the college since 1993, officials said.
There are three reasons for the growing increase in enrollment, Oharah said:
• First, the percentage of people moving into higher education has increased with the demand for increased job skills.
• Second, because of the “baby-boom echo,” the senior classes in 2008 are estimated to be the biggest ever.
• Third, Oharah said, with the increased number of layoffs following the recent years’ economy slump, the enrollment for worker retraining programs has skyrocketed.
“We’ve got a train wreck on the way with these competing demands, and no way to fund them,” Shoreline Community College president Holly Moore said.
Without more funding for higher education, officials fear that the concept of what a community college is and what they can offer will be in danger of being forced to take a drastic turn.
“Community colleges act under an open-door policy: if there’s room in the class, aside from prerequisites, you can register for it …” Moore said. “We’re going to see that open door close.”
She said students who have successfully navigated the educational system will get in while students in programs such as adult basic education, English as a second language programs and developmental classes would be turned away.
Earl and Oharah agree.
“We’ve about maxed out what we can do with the current spending levels,” Earl said, “and I think most of us are just worried that we won’t be able to serve the people who need to be served.”
Oharah added that in regard to further funding community colleges, “It’s really a question of what kind of community you want.”
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