AUGUSTA, Maine
With a balanced state budget still beyond lawmakers’ grasp, a community college student, an administrator, a business leader and legislators pleaded last week for more funding for the seven-campus system, saying the state is failing to address surging demand by prospective students.
A bill before the Appropriations Committee seeks a one-time funding increase of $15 million to the Maine Community College System to eliminate the backlog of students awaiting entrance to college degree programs.
The $15 million would be in addition to the $11.7 million Gov. John Baldacci has proposed in his two-year budget, supporters said.
Supporters of Rep. Lawrence Bliss’ bill pointed to a 47 percent enrollment increase since the system was inaugurated in 2003, while state appropriations have increased by only 10 percent.
“Maine people deserve access to the community colleges and all the opportunity they provide,” said Bliss, D-South Portland. “We need to keep that promise, not turn people away.”
A student at Southern Maine Community College, who said his education “literally transformed my life” and “opened doors to me,” said he also feared prospects of turning other students away.
