This year, community colleges will be funded by the state at a 10-year low.
In 2000, the state of Mississippi provided community colleges an average of $4,522 per student. For fiscal year 2011, community colleges will receive an average of $3,349 per student (including stimulus funds), a 25.9 percent decrease.
More than half of the students enrolled in higher education classes in Mississippi are taking community college classes. But little more than a quarter of the state”s funding for higher education is allocated to community and junior colleges.
When you factor in K-12 education, community colleges get about 7.2 percent of the state”s education dollars, despite educating more than 250,000 people each year — more than 100,000 enrolled in college courses and more than 150,000 taking adult basic education, GED classes and workforce training — and growing in enrollment by 53.6 percent since 2000. In contrast, K-12 shrunk by 0.2 , and four-year colleges grew by 13.7 percent.
For fiscal year 2011, K-12 education gets $2.26 billion from the state, state-funded universities get $562.46 million, and community colleges get $233.38 million.
“Community college has had an enrollment increase that has exceeded high schools and universities … but our cuts have been deeper,” said Dr. Rick Young, president of East Mississippi Community College, which has campuses in Scooba and Mayhew, along with satellite campuses in West Point, Columbus Air Force Base and at the Naval Air Station in Meridian and offers classes in Macon at Noxubee County High School.
To defray budget woes, the school is cutting its staff through attrition, reducing trips, conserving on utilities and putting a well in at its Scooba campus, where the college spends $60,000 on water and sewer services.
“By adding a well, we”ll cut one-third of that almost immediately,” said Young.
The college also is asking its full-time teachers to teach overload classes for extra pay, rather than hiring additional faculty.
“We”re (also) hiring more part-time and adjunct professors,” said Young. “Right now, we probably have more part-time faculty than we have full time.”
Tuition increases have driven the cost from $800 a semester in 2008 to $975 per semester this year. Average annual tuition for the state”s 15 community and junior colleges is about half the state average for its eight public universities – $2,114 versus $5,067 a year.
Since the state”s funding piece has decreased, tuition has had to make up more of the pie. EMCC has a total operating budget of $40 million.
In FY 2000, state support of community colleges made up 55.2 percent their revenue, and student tuition and fees made up 18 percent.
This year, state support is about 39.2 percent of the colleges” revenue, including stimulus funds, and tuition is at an all-time high of 32.6 percent.
“Tuition pays less than one-third the cost to educate a student,” Young noted.
He hopes local government, seeing the positive impact community colleges have on the region and state, will increase their funding to EMCC. The state mandates a minimum of 2 mills of funding and a maximum of 6 mills, allocated from each of the counties in a community college”s district, Young said.
Itawamba Community College is the only one receiving 6 mills from each county it serves.
“When you look at EMCC, Lowndes and Oktibbeha are carrying the financial burden,” Young said.
The college also serves Kemper and Noxubee Counties, “two of the poorest counties” in the state, where a mill is worth very little when compared to other counties. Kemper County next year will get a major boost from Mississippi Power, which is building a $2.4 billion power plant in the county.
In 2010, Lowndes County provided $1.22 million (2.77 mills) to EMCC; Oktibbeha provided $745,781 (2.61 mills); Clay provided $410,645 (3.8 mills); Lauderdale County provided $213,031 (0.4 mills); Noxubee provided $196,105 (3.91 mill); and Kemper County provided $157,382 (3.93 mills).
EMCC Enrollment and allocations, by county
n Lowndes: 2,368 students; $1.22 million
n Oktibbeha: 1,234 students; $745,781
n Clay: 808 students; $410,645
n Lauderdale (also contributes to Meridian Community College): 285 students; $213,031
n Noxubee: 558 students: $196,105 students
n Kemper: 262 students; $157,382
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