Portland Press Herald, November 25, 2006
Editorial: Community college success comes at a price
Perhaps John Fitzsimmons should have been more careful with his wishes.
As president of the state's technical college system, Fitzsimmons was the driving force behind the creation of a comprehensive community college system in Maine. He got his wish in 2003, when the Legislature voted to create community colleges from the network of seven technical college campuses.
The thought at the time was that the lack of affordable and widely available two-year secondary education programs in Maine was contributing to its lackluster economic performance. A community college with affordable tuition would encourage more young people to continue their educations after high school and open doors for adults wanting to upgrade their skills.
It was, of course, more than a hunch. Community colleges had played a vital educational role in most of the country for decades, and Maine was one of the last states to establish such a system. So when the colleges proved popular, drawing more Mainers to higher education, it didn't come as much of a surprise.
What was surprising was just how much enrollment in the system grew -- 50 percent over four years to about 13,000 students. Fitzsimmons says the growth shows no signs of abating and warns that without more state support, the community college system will have to start turning people away.
Community colleges can make a big difference in a state where only 50 percent of high school graduates continue their educations, compared to 70 percent nationally.
For all the talk in the state about high taxes and overregulation of business, there are other changes needed to produce real improvement in the Maine economy. Maine suffers economically not only because it is expensive to do business here, but it's also hard to find highly skilled workers here.
The state has a high literacy rate -- a plus -- but not a lot of people with two-year or four-year college degrees.
That makes this a great place for call centers, for instance, because there is a large pool of folks with basic reading skills and a good work ethic. Yet those same people lack the skills needed to perform higher-paying jobs that today almost always require a degree.
This is not to disparage call centers. The jobs do pay well compared to other opportunities available to high school graduates, and there's no reason not to welcome that kind of opportunity here.
But have you ever wondered why all these call centers come to Maine? Why they put up with the higher taxes, the regulations, the winter weather and the costs associated with being at the end of the transportation pipeline?
It is because the workers here have the skills these companies require at the right wage.
Which goes to show that economic development has a lot do with people's skills and willingness to work. When companies find the right workers at fair pay rates, they'll often tolerate high taxes and cold weather.
This can translate directly into better opportunities for Maine workers if they upgrade their skills. If, over time, Maine develops a work force with high skills, then companies paying high wages will be more likely to come here.
This doesn't mean education in and of itself can drive the economy. It's just that it's an important part of the overall economic development picture. Taxes, regulations, transportation links and research funding all have a role in encouraging busines s growth.
Growing an economy is like growing a plant. You need good soil, good air and the right amount of water. Leave out any one, and the results will be disappointing.
If creating more opportunity is the goal, the Legislature has a responsibility to lay fertile ground for jobs here by looking closely at the recommendations of the Governor's Community College Advisory Council. What's clear from the council's report is that many of the barriers to college are addressed by the community college model, and that model is succeeding in Maine.
At $2,300 a year, community college is affordable. With seven main campuses and several satellite locations, nearly every Mainer is close enough to a community college program to take advantage of the opportunity.
Perhaps most significant is that community colleges are a proven way to move students on the fence about college as high school seniors to bachelor's degrees. The A students taking college prep courses in our high schools are already going to college. It's the C and B students, especially those whose parents didn't attend college, who are at risk of not moving on. The community college fits many of these students financially, socially and academically.
It's also a proven gateway to a four-year degree. Nationally, community college graduates perform better in their junior and senior years in college than do students who went directly to a university. Fitzsimmons says that holds true here. In the University of Maine System, community college graduates as a group have higher grade-point averages than juniors and seniors who went directly into a four-year program.
To date, the governor, the Legislature, the community college system and the university system have all done an admirable job of putting a basic framework for a Maine Community College System together. What's missing is money.
Though enrollment is up 50 percent, the community college budget is up only 10 percent. Before the transition, the old tech college system had 790 employees. Today, the community colleges have 785 employees, with much of the slack being taken up by adjunct instructors.
The advisory council recommends having the system take on another 1,200 students next year and 2,800 more the following year. Doing so won't come cheap. The council says the system's budget will need a $6.6 million boost next year and another $16 million the year after to reach that goal. It also recommends a bond issue to address capital needs.
With cutting taxes at or near the top of the Augusta agenda and with momentum behind big expenditures for K-12 education and hospital funding, finding money will be tough in the next Legislature.
Lawmakers may wish that the community colleges needed less funding, but they should be careful about their wishes as well.