On Tuesday, June 1, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education held a work session on HB 5011, the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development budget bill. The bill includes funding for workforce operations, debt service on outstanding bonds, and the community college support fund. The 2011-13 funding level for community colleges is $410 million. However, the amount actually funded in the bill is $395.8 million, which includes the legislatively-mandated 3.5 percent holdback on all budgets that will be reinstated during the February 2012 session so long as the economy does not worsen. The committee also restored $550,000 for the skill centers at Portland Community College and the Sabin-Schellenberg Center that were cut in the Governor’s budget.  

During the work session, legislators expressed their disappointment with an inadequate community college budget. Sen. Rod Monroe (D-Portland) summed up sentiments shared by committee members. “This is going to be really a hard vote for me and I think for several others. This is not enough money. Community colleges are the instrument of workforce development in our state. When the economy is in the toilet, this is the place where people can go and get trained for a 21st century job and we are cutting the funding, and that troubles me greatly.”

Sen. Chris Edwards (D-Eugene) did not mince words when he stated, “I think that the budget sucks.” Rep. Bill Garrard (R-Klamath Falls) followed up by noting he would return to Klamath Falls and apologize to Gerald Hamilton, president of Klamath Community College. “I’m going to apologize for this budget and he’s going to look at me and say, ’No, I understand what we’re all up against.’”

Rep. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), a strong supporter of community colleges, wrapped up the comment period of the work session by stating, “…[I] certainly appreciate everything that the community colleges do and that’s why this budget is so painful for me…[W]e need to look forward to better days and I hope that when better days come, we really do remember these words that at we are saying and put community colleges up at the front of the line because often, they do, even in good times, slip back to the back of the line because community colleges always make due.”

The bill was passed out of committee and will move to the full Ways and Means Committee but has not yet been scheduled for a work session.  A link to the Legislative Fiscal Office budget report can be found here.

CCWD and OCCA Presentation to Higher Ed Subcommittee - February 9, 2011
Cam Preus (CCWD) and Andrea Henderson (OCCA) presented an overview of community colleges to the Higher Education Subcommittee. The information was well received by the committee and Chair Dembrow indicated that the committee will be discussing many of the issues around community colleges this session. View the PowerPoint presentation: Overview of Oregon's Community Colleges.