Legislators must end funding delay for community colleges

Nearly six months into the fiscal year, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and Pennsylvania’s 14 other community colleges have yet to receive operating funds authorized in the state’s FY 2023-24 budget. In fact, community colleges are the only public higher education institutions in Pennsylvania still awaiting state payments.

The state budget included a two percent operating fund increase for community colleges, but legislation has not been passed by the General Assembly authorizing the funds to be released.

This has needlessly put MCCC and the state’s other community colleges in a precarious position, forcing detrimental measures to be taken to prevent employees and students from being impacted.

At MCCC, we have had to draw down $2 million of cash reserves, resulting in the loss of current and future income; arrange a line of credit of $10 million at an interest rate of 6.63% (the borrowing costs for the interest on that line of credit will add up to $5,500 per month, per $1 million borrowed); and curtail expenses by renegotiating contracts, freezing non-essential travel and implementing other cost-cutting measures to avoid impacting students or employees. However, we are now facing a critical funding situation.

Interest expenses and/or unrealized investment income realized by these measures may exceed the increase allocated in the state budget as early as this spring. In other words, the delay in state payments is translating into a net funding cut.

Collectively, Pennsylvania’s community colleges are the largest provider of public postsecondary education and workforce training in the Commonwealth. At over 80 campus locations and sites across the state, the colleges educate over 230,000 students across all 67 counties.

The students served by Pennsylvania’s community colleges come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Across the state, 42 percent of community college students are from minority or other underrepresented populations. The colleges serve more first-generation students and low-income students than any other sector of higher education.

In Montgomery County, MCCC served more than 14,000 last year, of which 77% were part-time; 44% were Black, Indigenous or People of Color; 21% were funded by Pell grants; 30% were adult students over 25 years old; 31% were the first generation in their families to go to college; and 10% were single parents.

Since 1964, MCCC has graduated more than 90,000 alumni, many of whom live and work in Montgomery County and the state. MCCC is the community’s college, and as such, we serve people of all ages, from the youngest learners in our K-12 programs through adult learners, veterans and seniors, providing continuity of education, workforce development and cultural experiences. We have provided immersive STEM-based space missions at our Challenger Learning Center to more than 5,500 elementary school students since it opened in August 2022.

Furthermore, 75% of the community colleges’ programs align with High Priority Occupations in fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, public safety and cybersecurity. In fact, the colleges award 3 out of every 4 associate degrees in nursing in the state; at MCCC, our pass rate for the NCLEX-RN exam is 92.52%, which exceeds the state rate of 84.37% and the national rate of 79.92%. The colleges also partner with over 2,100 Pennsylvania employers to address workforce needs and provide contracted training to over 87,000 workers annually.

Making this essential postsecondary education and workforce training possible for Pennsylvania is over 17,600 hardworking individuals who are employed by Pennsylvania’s community colleges, 512 (total full- and part-time) of whom work at MCCC.

It is critical that the General Assembly pass legislation authorizing release of state funds to MCCC and the other state-funded community colleges without further delay. Our students, employer partners,  employees, and communities are counting on it.

Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez is president of Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell and Pottstown.