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NANTICOKE — Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget is generally good for education, unless you run one of the state’s 14 community colleges.
The proposal leaves last year’s state subsidy untouched, and Luzerne County Community College President Tom Leary joined colleagues across the state in questioning the fairness.
“To propose the same amount in our funding but increase state spending in other sectors of public education, it’s not a level playing field,” Leary said of Wolf’s budget outlined Tuesday.
“Our major concern is to maintain an affordable tuition rate. We hope we can count on state support to be able to maintain that rate,” Leary added.
The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges issued a statement that included quotes from Leary, the current board chair of an organization representing the state’s 14 community colleges.
The statement notes that state funding was slashed in 2008-09 and, despite some increases in recent years, remains below the pre-recession level. Yet collectively the 14 colleges increased the awards conferred to students by 18 percent since then.
The statewide average tuition has also stayed low compared to most other colleges, at $3,070 for one year, the statement noted.
Leary noted that LCCC kept tuition flat for several years before annual increases in the last five years. This year, annual tuition is $3,750, Leary said, conceding it is higher than the 14-school average but lower than seven other community colleges.
Leary repeated a long standing contention: That community colleges are “the largest providers of public higher education in Pennsylvania, and we are definitely the largest in terms of workforce development.”
Leary also noted the budget process has just begun, both for the state and LCCC. He said it’s too early to talk about any tuition increase this year, but also noted the state funding is part of that math.
“I’m still hopeful the General Assembly will decide that community colleges deserve some type of increase,” Leary said.
