The resolution now heads to the state's elected officials. By supporting the resolution, the HCC trustee board strongly urged the General Assembly to invest in North Carolina’s community colleges by:
• Closing the salary gap for community college instructors and staff by allowing colleges to retain $59 million now returned to the state as part of management flexibility cuts and invest those funds in salaries.
• Closing the interest gap by appropriating $7 million in recurring funds over two years to establish a fund to match business, philanthropic and local funding to place community college-employed career coaches in high schools.
The resolution also addressed technology gaps and encourages legislators to close that divide by:
• Appropriating $10 million in non-recurring funds for equipment to provide a significant infusion of funds to support equipment for programs leading to well-paying jobs.
• Appropriating $5 million in recurring funds to provide support to pilot up to nine colleges to move to a hosted cloud environment as required by State ITS which is expected to be more technically efficient and allow colleges to begin to move to a new platform.
• Authorizing year-round funding for Universal General Education Transfer Courses which transfer to all UNC constituent institutions.
• Supporting veterans and their dependents by funding in-state tuition for veterans and dependents as required by federal law.
“I looked at faculty salary averages and we are 54th among the 58 institutions,” explained HCC President Ervin V. Griffin Sr. “Some have higher salaries than we do, but if you remember, we had four or five years where we did not have any raises for anyone.” Also, under the management flexibility measure that is being discussed to close the salary gap, Griffin added that during the two years when HCC experienced large enrollments, the college had to send back around $700,000 to the state.
HCC sent back $400,000 last year and most recently, HCC has been asked to send back $103,000. “This is money that we’ve already earned in full-time equivalency,” said Griffin. “I could understand it if we had lost it through not having the FTE — we had already earned that extra $700,000, but it went right back to the state. Consequently, we haven’t been able to give raises or do anything for our faculty and staff.” Griffin also shared the 2015 Community College Federal Legislative Priorities which include: • More adequate funding of the Pell Grant program.
• Federal funding for community colleges and students to provide strong funding support for key community college programs at least equal to the prior year’s funding levels and nullify sequestration cuts for FY 2016 and beyond.
• Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
• Reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical EducationAct.
• Enhance the essential role community colleges play in serving veterans and active duty community service members.
• Pass the the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
• Streamline the current higher education tax benefits to support an expanded American Opportunity Tax Credit.
• Extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act Community College and Career Training Grant.
• Support the core principles of President Obama’s America’s College Promise proposal because it stands to increase community college student access and success, which would have substantial economic and social benefits for the nation.
