Community colleges: Praise is fine, but also send money
SEATTLE -- President Barack Obama held the first-ever White House summit on community colleges.
Obama said Tuesday he wants to see community colleges produce an additional five million graduates by 2020, arguing the schools are crucial to America's future competitiveness.
In Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn declared the day Community College Days. But community college officials had a message of their own: praise is fine, but also send money.
South Seattle Community College looks tranquil. That's only because you can't see the frowns of the administrators.
"We are faced with a real challenge. Over the last three years our enrollment has increased about 12 percent while our budget has decreased 16 percent," said community college chancellor Dr. Jill Wakefield.
"The students smiled today not because they got all the courses they wanted, but because they got in. Right now, it is particularly difficult. We have about 1,200 students on our waiting list, and classes are full," said Gary Oertli of SSCC.
This is the sound of a basic course in airframe construction. The prediction: every student here will get a job, including student Jeff Biro.
"I was a project manager and the jobs were simply drying up. I kept watching project managers go and go. And eventually, we all got laid off," Biro said.
There's a class that allows students to work on a jet engine. It's in demand, too; you can't get into this class.
"You might have to wait til summer, summer quarter," said aviation instructor Robert Richardson.
There's a waiting list for the wine institute. And if you are thinking of nursing, all classes are full.
The really bad news: the next Legislature has a $4.5 million hole the colleges could fall into.
"We are on edge, but we are optimistic," Oertli said.
The big problem for the community colleges is that every dollar that the Legislature doesn't cut from them has to be cut from someone else. Expect a big fight in Olympia.
Obama said Tuesday he wants to see community colleges produce an additional five million graduates by 2020, arguing the schools are crucial to America's future competitiveness.
In Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn declared the day Community College Days. But community college officials had a message of their own: praise is fine, but also send money.
South Seattle Community College looks tranquil. That's only because you can't see the frowns of the administrators.
"We are faced with a real challenge. Over the last three years our enrollment has increased about 12 percent while our budget has decreased 16 percent," said community college chancellor Dr. Jill Wakefield.
"The students smiled today not because they got all the courses they wanted, but because they got in. Right now, it is particularly difficult. We have about 1,200 students on our waiting list, and classes are full," said Gary Oertli of SSCC.
This is the sound of a basic course in airframe construction. The prediction: every student here will get a job, including student Jeff Biro.
"I was a project manager and the jobs were simply drying up. I kept watching project managers go and go. And eventually, we all got laid off," Biro said.
There's a class that allows students to work on a jet engine. It's in demand, too; you can't get into this class.
"You might have to wait til summer, summer quarter," said aviation instructor Robert Richardson.
There's a waiting list for the wine institute. And if you are thinking of nursing, all classes are full.
The really bad news: the next Legislature has a $4.5 million hole the colleges could fall into.
"We are on edge, but we are optimistic," Oertli said.
The big problem for the community colleges is that every dollar that the Legislature doesn't cut from them has to be cut from someone else. Expect a big fight in Olympia.
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