Gov’s 2 budgets offer COCC sharply different future

Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed “base budget” for the next biennium could lead to significant cuts that might force Central Oregon Community College to make “significant” tuition hikes and/or cuts to programs, COCC President Dr. Shirley Metcalf said Thursday.

However, she added, an “alternative budget” proposal would not only avert cuts but add funds for expanded career and technical education programs.

Here’s Metcalf’s full statement in response to the governor’s proposed budget:

“Central Oregon Community College continues to strive to meet the needs of our students and our communities. However, the Base Budget, announced yesterday by Governor Kate Brown includes a significant cut in state funding that would impact our ability to meet our mission.

“Our board has worked hard to keep tuition low for our local students, but in this scenario we would have no choice but to recommend to our board a significant increase in tuition, and/or cuts to programs critical for our students and our region. In addition, elimination of the Oregon Promise would mean grave hardships for many of our students.

“The governor’s alternative budget, which she calls her Investment Budget, shows promise. It recognizes that ‘current service level’ for community colleges is $643 million, and restores the money cut from our base funding.

“This budget proposal would also include $70 million statewide to allow the 17 community colleges to expand career and technical education programs, such as health care fields, automotive, welding and many more. It also provides funds for both the Oregon Promise and the Oregon Opportunity Grant. This budget reflects a solid investment for our state and our region.

“I am pleased to note that Governor Brown has included $8 million toward construction of a future building on the COCC Redmond Campus. We anticipate increased enrollments on the Redmond Campus and have need for additional facilities to accommodate more students from the growing region.”

Also, the Oregon Community College Association issued a news release Thursday on the governor’s budget proposals:

The release of the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB) included two starkly different paths for Oregon’s community colleges.

The GRB “Base Budget” includes no new revenue to the state and makes deep cuts in both community colleges and public universities. The “Investment Budget” includes almost $2 billion in new revenue and would provide a significant funding increase to both sectors as well as to state need-based financial aid.

“While the ‘Investment Budget’ puts colleges on a solid footing and invests in expanding Career and Technical programs, the ‘Base Budget’ funding level would be devastating to Oregon’s Community colleges and the Oregonians we serve,” said Cam Preus, executive director of the Oregon Community Colleges Association. “Colleges would have no choice but to make deep program cuts along with double digit tuition increases.”

“Base Budget”

At the “Base Budget” level, community colleges would receive a 4.7 percent cut, bringing the Community College Support Fund (CCSF) from $570 million (2017-19 biennium) down to $543 million (2019-21 biennium).

Statewide, community colleges would have to raise tuition 17.5 percent each year of the 2019-2021 biennium to bridge the gap in funding in the “base budget.”

It also does not fund community college requests of $70 million in new funding for Career and Technical Education Programs and $70 million to expand student support services for first-generation and underrepresented students.

The “base budget” also eliminates the Oregon Promise Program after the first year of the biennium removing a successful onramp to post-secondary education used by thousands of high school and GED graduates annually.

“Investment Budget”

The “Investment Budget” would increase the CCSF to $646.7 million – the amount community colleges would need to maintain current programs and services and keep tuition increases to about 3.5 percent statewide each year of the biennium.

Community colleges would also receive an additional $70 million to expand CTE programs doubling the number of CTE graduates each year statewide (an additional 7900 graduates per year).

The “Investment Budget” does not include the community college request for $70 million in additional funding for student support services targeted at first-generation and underrepresented students.

The “Investment Budget” also adds $121 million to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, nearly doubling funding for Oregon’s only statewide need-based financial aid program. It also fully funds the Oregon Promise program.