Critics question Gov. Perdue’s community college proposal

N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue just released her state budget proposal last week and already the feasibility of one its components is being questioned.

Community colleges are concerned that a program proposed by Perdue could increase their enrollment when they don’t have the funds for it.

The proposal included a Career and College Promise program, which would allow juniors and seniors in high school who maintain a B average to earn two years of career training or a two-year community college degree free of cost.

“I think it will be a challenge to handle the numbers,” said Gary Green, president of Forsyth Technical Community College.

He said he is concerned about the possible increase in enrollment because it would not be completely covered by the state.

State funding for community colleges is based on the previous year’s level of enrollment, Green said. Since N.C. community colleges are only supported by the state, an enrollment increase wouldn’t be fully funded.

“It it is not as though we can ship money from other sources,” he said. “It could mean fewer classes available for overall students than we would have otherwise.”

The plan would involve combining programs that schools already have in place, like dual enrollment and early college, into one entity.

It would also open up more departments, allowing students to take more courses, Green said.

“It would allow colleges to put together a program that meets students’ needs instead of having specific courses to take,” he said.

“I think if the state can streamline what we are doing, that would be wonderful,” said Robin Hardin, educational and partnerships coordinator for Cape Fear Community College. “I am just not sure how we can make sure how it will happen with the current budget.”

Cuts to community colleges to the different programs in the past few years have placed a constraint on the number of students the colleges could handle.

“I am not 100 percent sure where we will be able to (grow enrollment) unless the General Assembly re-instates that funding,” Hardin said. “I am hopeful that funding will be restored, but I am not seeing where it is going to come from.”

She said charging students tuition for the program would not help compensate for the cost of it because it would not cover half of what the state could.

“Tuition at a community college is very low,” Hardin said. “So even if we would pay tuition, we still wouldn’t be able to run it as a college course.”

Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Montgomery/Randolph, said he did not know where the money to fund the program would come from.

“What I have a problem with is that we are going to give it to you free when we know there is no free lunch,” he said.

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