DENVER – Representatives for the Colorado Community College System and several Denver District colleges and technical schools pleaded for additional funding from the Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday.
Representatives highlighted the contributions their institutions make to higher education and the Colorado economy to make their points.
The discussion came on the first day of presentations regarding funding for the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
Some of the issues that came up were the countercyclical enrollment patterns of community colleges and technical schools, difficulties in providing adequate salaries and benefits for faculty and staff members while also maintaining the infrastructure needed to provide high quality education and the funding made available to community colleges.
Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System, spoke on behalf of the 13 community colleges, including Pueblo Community College, that comprise her organization.
McCallin said community colleges and technical schools generally see higher enrollment when the economy is in a downturn as individuals seek certificates and job skills that will make them competitive in the job market.
But at such times funding is tight and, despite higher enrollment, the schools do not see a larger portion of overall funding, she said told committee members.
Community colleges also find themselves ranked at the bottom for higher education funding in the state, and receive less incentive-based funding for providing degrees than four-year institutions, she said. “We have been doing a significant amount of workforce training, and that’s been demanded – and not just demanded but requested by the General Assembly and policymakers to get people good, high-paying jobs and careers when they leave. And yet we’re only awarded 25 cents on the dollar vis-a-vie a bachelor’s degree.”
This leads to what McCallin feels is an unfair distribution of funding based on performance.
“We’ve produced 40 percent of the credentials for the state and got only 20 percent of the performance funding for it,” she said.
McCallin said she wants the budget committee to keep in mind the effort put forth by organizations such as her’s to provide quality education while maintaining low tuition costs when they finalize the budget – or so-called Long Bill – in the spring.
“Things cost money, and money doesn’t fall from trees,” she said. “We need to recognize that in order to provide these services it’s not free. I wish it could be free, but it’s not, and at this time we need to make investments to provide quality education for students.”
The JBC will have hearings on higher education through Thursday, including hearing Wednesday from Fort Lewis College.
lperkins@durangoherald.com
