Morning Sentinel, November 26, 2006
Editorial: Budget, bonds needed to support college system
Maine's old economy was fueled by its natural resources -- our forests, ocean and rivers. Working in that economy required quick-thinking, strength and fortitude.
Maine's new economy is driven by technology and information; working in this economy requires a college degree.
Yet almost two-thirds of Maine's adults don't have that degree. Nearly half of our state's high school graduates say they have no plans to immediately pursue a college education.
Now, consider this: many of Maine's industries -- such as health care, hospitality, construction and business -- face significant shortages of skilled workers, according to a new report by the Governor's Community College Advisory Council.
Finally, consider this: Maine's community college system is the smallest in the nation, with the capacity to enroll only 1 percent of the state's population. Yet enrollment grew 42 percent in the last few years and community colleges are straining under the pressure. They are at or exceeding capacity in many popular programs; they're unable to fill the demand by a number of critical Maine industries for skilled workers.
The inescapable conclusion is that the state's community colleges could play a significant role in educating Mainers for jobs in the new economy. If only they had the resources to grow.
That's what the governor's advisory council recommended recently in its report. The council wants the state to spend $20 million in the next two-year budget to allow the community colleges to absorb 4,000 new students over the short-term. And it wants a $30 million bond passed to pay for renovation and new buildings.
The governor and Legislature should seriously consider the council's $20 million request to help manage and meet the explosive demand on the colleges. It should be placed among the state's priorities for funding. That doesn't mean the state can afford to shell out the full $20 million. There are a lot of important demands on the budget, a looming deficit and strong public pressure for tax reduction. Yet Maine created the community college system and now needs to fund it with more than a token amount of cash.
Council members also say the community college system should expand from its current 12,500 students to 30,000 within 10 years. While we believe that the community college system can play a much larger role in Maine's economic development than it currently does, we doubt that any educational system could manage the kind of growth over the next decade that the governor's council has recommended.
As for a $30 million bond to fund new construction and renovations of existing facilities, that request will need to be fleshed out in far greater detail before it can hold its own against demands for bonds to update critical infrastructure such as our wastewater treatment systems and our roads and bridges. We'd like to see the search for more room for community colleges dovetail with a larger effort to consolidate schools across the state. Buildings that are no longer used for grade schools or high schools could become satellite community college sites.
Finally, we'd like to put in a good word for poetry and critical thinking skills.
Our community colleges should not become simply industrial assembly lines that turn out Maine workers whose skills are geared to our current economy's needs. Those needs change too quickly to make that model a fruitful one. Furthermore, our community colleges serve a crucial function as the low-cost, low-barrier entry point for those who traditionally might not have gone on to college. A significant portion of community college students transfer on to universities and other colleges for bachelor's degrees. They need to be afforded the kind of education that will equip them to meet the demands of a rigorous baccalaureate degree program.
Community colleges need to train workers, yes, but they must also educate citizens who can think broadly about a range of issues, who can write an essay, who can be inspired by poetry or astronomy or politics or art. To perceive of Maine's community colleges solely as worker training grounds will ultimately shortchange those students -- and the state.