Whenever I speak to local civic groups about community college issues, people always appear deer-in-the-headlights stunned to learn how their taxes are invested in education. Specifically in FY 2007, for every tax dollar out of the state’s General Fund expended on education, about 74 cents was disbursed to the K-12 system; about 20.2 cents went to support public universities; and about 5.8 cents was invested in the community college system.

Now, I’ve only worked in Mississippi for nine years, which makes me a neophyte compared to distinguished career educators like Hinds Community College President Dr. Clyde Muse (formerly superintendent of the Meridian Public School System). So, I don’t really know the history of how the aforementioned funding picture evolved in such a statistically skewed fashion.

The bizarre thing is that no one seems to have a strong sense of why things are as they are. Explanations such as, “Hey, that’s just the way it’s always been” offer nothing in the way of genuine understanding.

Finally, I received some insight at a recent legislative hearing on community college appropriations. During the hearing, the presiding officer remarked, “Whenever I talk to my colleagues about the lack of support for community colleges, they tell me it’s because community colleges have a different mission.”

“Huh?” I asked myself, biting my tongue while fidgeting in my seat.

Well, the gentleman was right — community colleges do have a distinctly different mission. Arguably, it’s the most comprehensive mission among all public education entities. Among other activities, Mississippi’s 15 public community colleges all engage in the following:

• traditional academic courses which prepare students to matriculate to senior colleges and universities;

• occupational programs designed to provide graduates with entry-level work opportunities;

• customized workforce training courses that keep existing industry healthy and help to attract new industry by delivering advanced skills, many involving contemporary technology;

• continuing education courses that offer non-credit students professional and/or personal enrichment;

• cultural experiences for local citizens, ranging from theatrical productions to art exhibits to musical concerts; and

• adult basic education programs designed to remediate students with basic skills deficiencies (reading, writing, and/or arithmetic), hopefully leading to a GED high school equivalency certificate.

Despite the broad spectrum of the community college mission, the system has never received anything approaching equal state support for its students. Using FY 2005 data, per-student support in Mississippi broke down as follows: $5,473 for every full-time student enrolled at a public regional university; $4,158 for every K-12 student; and $2,645 for every community college student.

Growth in enrollment apparently does not factor into the equation. Community college enrollment in the fall of 2006 had increased to 65,407 credit students, including 69 percent of all incoming college freshmen in the state. University credit enrollment totaled 55,572. Public school enrollment has reportedly been in marginal decline.

Enrollments aside, the really ironic thing, to me, about Mississippi’s funding of education is that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 65 percent of the job market in the United States relates to many of the types of advanced skills being taught at community colleges. Nurses, radiological technicians, and telecommunications specialists are prime examples of careers falling into that category.

Accordingly, community colleges would fare exceedingly well if a private sector model were applied to state funding. You see, in the private sector, businesses established to generate profit invest in those things that cause the highest return. Moreover, private businesses have little to no tolerance for anything that fails to produce.

In assessing productivity, let’s get down to cases. Today’s graduates of two-year community college nursing schools in Mississippi are on fast-tracks to a $50,000 annual income, especially if they are willing to work some overtime hours. At MCC, we’ve had graduates of our eight-week commercial truck driving program earn as much as $42,000 per year right out of the gate. I could site such examples for almost any of MCC’s 30-plus occupational programs.

Bottom line — that’s economic development. That’s converting some people from tax program recipients to tax contributors in a relatively short time frame. In other words, that’s building wealth for Mississippi, which is the ultimate panacea for many of the societal ills from which we have long suffered.

I agree with Governor Barbour that raising tax rates on Mississippians isn’t the answer. Nor is robbing Peter to pay Paul — that is, taking money from one education agency to better support another. Some would argue that’s how the cost of the K-12 teacher pay raise package, implemented over the past five years, was defrayed.

Rather, the solution lies in strengthening and broadening Mississippi’s tax base. Currently employed citizens equipped with more advanced job skills delivered by community colleges are going to earn more money, and, therefore, pay more taxes at the existing rate. Moreover, citizens who become newly employed after learning a contemporary job skill will be added to the tax base, rather than sucking the life out of it. Ideally, a broader tax base would ultimately lower rates, provided government spending does not escalate. Most important of all, a stronger and broader tax base would produce monies to improve Mississippi across the board — roads, health care, public schools, law enforcement — you name it.

So, why do we need to change the education funding picture in Mississippi? Why should community colleges be supported at a more equitable per-student rate?

Well, it’s not because all of us community college folk are a bunch of nice guys. It’s only because it makes sense for the future prosperity of Mississippi.

I believe that today’s employers are far more concerned about the actual skills a worker possesses than what kind of degree that person might hold. The certification of skills, as opposed to a degree, is fast-becoming the portal to job opportunity in America. The stark reality is that some highly-degreed people who can’t find a job are “re-tooling” at community colleges across America, obtaining a more marketable skill and certification. Now, that may not be a politically correct statement, but I believe it is nonetheless an evolving trend.

What’s the most fundamental goal for our students, after all? In ancient Greece, the answer might have been “to gain knowledge for knowledge’s sake.” But in America, in the Year 2007, in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, the answer is “to get a good job” — end of story.

Yes, community colleges do have a different mission, just as the legislator suggested. But, for Heaven’s sake, that’s not a reason to justify inequitable funding levels. Rather, it’s a reason to more strongly invest in a system that correlates most directly with Mississippi’s future economic prosperity.

Right now, a beginning public school teacher holding a bachelors degree will likely command a higher salary in Mississippi than a beginning community college teacher with a masters degree. An economist might call such a picture inverted. If Mississippians want their community colleges to continue to produce nurses, respiratory therapists, welders, data processors, etc., who will be catalysts for a more vibrant economy, then we’ve got to be able to pay our teachers better. Teacher retirements in the community college system are occurring in droves, and that scenario will only become more glaring for the short term. Absent stronger remuneration, who is going to follow in their wake?

On the bright side, I believe positive momentum is building for community colleges in the Mississippi Legislature. After absorbing several years of reductions in state support, community colleges were better funded last year, especially in the areas of customized workforce training and nursing faculty compensation. And it looks like additional operational support will be forthcoming from the Legislature this year. For that, I want to publicly acknowledge the advocacy of our Lauderdale County legislative contingent – Charles Young, Greg Snowden, Steve Horne, Videt Carmichael, Terry Burton, Eric Robinson, Sampson Jackson, and Reecy Dixon.

We remain a long way from achieving the kind of equity in education funding that will enable community colleges to promote even greater prosperity for our state. But incessant whining won’t produce change. The citizenry, which has endured hard times itself with issues like Katrina and the loss of numerous manufacturing jobs, is flat-out tired of people like me whining. Therefore, if community colleges expect that deeply-entrenched paradigms will change, we must make arguments founded not on emotion, but in fact and logic.

I hope I’ve just done that.

Dr. Scott Elliott is president of Meridian Community College. E-mail him at selliott@mcc.cc.ms.us.