Program: Community college operations
Appropriation: |
All from GF/GP: |
$283,940,400 |
|
Total: |
$283,940,400 |
Program Description:
This appropriation funds the operational costs of Michigan’s community colleges. Michigan’s 28 community colleges provide the following: (1) low-cost courses for students planning to obtain a bachelor’s degree, (2) courses for those who wish to have special kinds of technical skills in business, industry or other fields, and (3) programs to serve the direct educational needs of the community where the college resides. Fewer than 200,000 students are currently enrolled full-time in community colleges throughout the state, a 3.4 percent drop since the 1984-1985 school year. [1] The appropriation above does not include revenue for the tuition restraint program.
For the fiscal year 2003-04, individual community college appropriations totaled $283,940,400. The specific appropriations according to Act 146 of 2003 are:
Alpena Community College |
$4,930,500 |
Bay De Noc Community College |
$4,766,800 |
Delta College |
$13,331,900 |
Glen Oaks Community College |
$2,236,800 |
Gogebic Community College |
$4,078,400 |
Grand Rapids Community College |
$16,769,300 |
Henry Ford Community College |
$20,436,700 |
Jackson Community College |
$11,312,800 |
Kalamazoo Valley Community College |
$11,542,800 |
Kellogg Community College |
$9,068,800 |
Kirtland Community College |
$2,752,400 |
Lake Michigan College |
$4,880,800 |
Lansing Community College |
$28,999,400 |
Macomb Community College |
$30,941,500 |
Mid Michigan Community College |
$4,127,600 |
Monroe County Community College |
$4,015,800 |
Montcalm County Community College |
$2,904,700 |
C.S. Mott Community College |
$14,661,600 |
Muskegon Community College |
$8,343,600 |
North Central Michigan College |
$2,826,100 |
Northwestern Michigan College |
$8,513,800 |
Oakland Community College |
$19,518,300 |
St. Clair County Community College |
$6,537,800 |
Schoolcraft College |
$11,455,400 |
Southwestern Michigan College |
$6,149,300 |
Washtenaw Community College |
$11,642,900 |
Wayne County Community College |
$15,050,600 |
West Shore Community College |
$2,144,000 |
Recommended Action:
While public support for higher education might be better accomplished by converting from direct funding to a system of tuition vouchers or tax credits, such a plan may not be politically feasible at this moment. [2] But it would give institutions of higher learning a stronger incentive to contain costs and to make sure that as many resources as possible are dedicated to serving students’ educational needs. There are, however, some immediate steps that the Michigan Legislature should take to deal with escalating costs. During tough economic times there is no legitimate reason to exempt community colleges from the same budget discipline that families and state bureaucracies must face. Governor Granholm’s 2005 proposal decreases the gross appropriation to $262,987,500.
Author’s Note: In Fiscal Year 2005, state funds are set to be appropriated to Michigan community colleges and universities as part of a "tuition restraint" policy. The funds will only be paid if the institutions "that did not adopt an increase in tuition and fee rates after December 1, 2003 for the 2003-2004 academic year, and that it will not adopt tuition and fee rate increases for the 2004-2005 academic year," [3] adjusted for inflation based upon the Detroit Consumer Price Index. Governor Granholm has set aside more than $17 million for community colleges that restrain tuition increases. This is a poor use of state funds. Those who benefit the most from education should be required to bear the greatest burden of paying for it. The state should eliminate this program and its appropriation. Savings: $17,036,800.