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Maintain Core Funding & Addressing Sector Equity

Our institutions continue to face head-on the financial reality of reduced state funding to higher education and have responded by becoming leaner and more efficient in our delivery of a quality education to Missouri’s students. The reduction in state funding, more than ten percent since 2009, means the burden of higher education costs have been shifted to students. We cannot continue this trend. In this light, we seek an appropriation no less than the amount appropriated in FY2018.
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Additionally, Missouri’s community colleges have historically been underfunded relative to other institutions of public higher education.  While the percentages vary slightly year to year, community colleges educate roughly 40 percent of the public higher education population but receive only about 15 percent of the total state funding allocated to higher education. Addressing this issue of sector equity remains a priority today because, due to a lack of funding, the gap continues to grow every year.

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Full Funding of the A+ Scholarship Program

This request includes full funding for all currently eligible students, as well as those that will be included by the recent expansion to non-public high schools.  Full funding is based on current award benefits, and these benefits should not be reduced or diluted.  The A+ program must remain available for use only at community colleges and the other higher education institutions as currently allowed.

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Degree Offerings

Last year, Missouri’s community colleges unanimously supported the legislative effort to amend Missouri statutes regarding degree offerings at public institutions of higher education. The legislation would have allowed community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in certain programs as approved by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. As a sector, we remain supportive of that bill and will once again advocate for its passage. 

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Workforce Development

The National Skills Coalition has concluded that middle-skill jobs account for 53% of Missouri’s labor market, but only 46% of the state’s workers are trained to the middle-skill level. To reverse the trend of underfunding workforce training programs, especially relative to other states with which we compete for economic development opportunities, MCCA will support an increase in funding for the Missouri Works Job Training program as well as the Customized Training program.
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Missouri’s business community has identified a deficit in the availability of skilled workers for jobs in many in-demand fields. Missouri community college leaders across the state have listened to our partners in enterprise and, through policy changes and minimal investment in Career and Technical education, are poised to help close this middle-skills gap.

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PSRS/PEERS Viability and Vitality

Missouri’s community college employees are part of the PEERS and PSRS retirement systems. As such, we will continue to support the oversight of these systems to ensure they remain well-funded and are managed responsibly.