Mississippi community college leaders rally for state funding

Published 2:01 pm Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Members of the Mississippi Community College Board and dozens of others from community and junior college leadership, faculty and students rallied at the state Capitol in Jackson on Tuesday seeking better state financial support for the community college system.

JACKSON – Andrea Mayfield stood on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol Tuesday to explain that $32 million in cuts to the state’s community and junior colleges in two years is a failing grade for the state’s future.

Mayfield, executive director for the Mississippi Community College Board, joined a crowd of dozens of community and junior college leadership, faculty, students and others to promote more funding for the state community college system, which has taken a hit in state funding in recent years. The community college system has lost more than 10 percent in state funding in two years.

State lawmakers are considering cutting 1.2 percent in funding – $2.8 million – to the 15 community and junior colleges in the state for the 2019 fiscal year that begins July 1.

Meridian and other parts of East Mississippi depend on Meridian Community College, East Mississippi Community College and East Central Community College for workforce development and training important to retaining and attracting industry to the region. Long term, cuts to the community and junior colleges could jeopardize the institutions achieving their missions

“The future of Mississippi is bleak if you don’t have the workforce,” Mayfield said. “The workforce is what is going to drive the economy.”

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As state legislators prepare to make final decisions related to revenue and appropriations bills to meet the Saturday deadline, conversations have intensified in the Capitol.

EMCC President Tom Huebner made the rounds discussing with lawmakers the value of the Scooba and Mayhew campuses.

CUTS IN EAST MISSISSIPPI

School  Decrease in state funding from FY 2016 to 2018    % cut

ECCC        $1.68 million                                                   14.6     

EMCC        $1.65 million                                                   10.9

MCC          $1.48 million                                                   7.7 

“People need to know what we do doesn’t happen by accident,” Huebner said. “And it doesn’t happen without adequate resources.”

Mississippi community and junior colleges educated nearly 100,000 skilled workers in 2017.

Dwindling resources from the state has led community college leaders to make tough budgetary decisions. On average, tuition and fees for the state’s community and junior colleges have increased more than 20 percent per semester from fiscal year 2016 to 2018.

At EMCC, state funding dipped nearly 11 percent during the same period. Huebner said the school’s funding level now almost matches state funding in fiscal year 2007, while many expenses such as utilities and fuel have risen in cost. The school reduced personnel costs by almost 10 percent.

MCC faced a 7.7 percent funding cut from the two year period, while East Central Community College had a 14.6 percent funding cut.

As state belt tightening continues, community college leaders say less and less resources threaten the institutions’ mission to help everyone with educational opportunities needed for better jobs.

“When you increase student tuition dollars, that begins incrementally moving higher education opportunities away from the people who need it the most,” Huebner said.