Chancellor Glasper issues statement on cuts to Maricopa Community Colleges
MCCCD’S Chancellor has written that the budget cuts to higher learning are “ironic” and “difficult”
March 11, 2015
From a Maricopa County Community College District press release:
Cuts in state appropriations totaling $8.8 million will damage the Maricopa Community Colleges’ ability to
improve successful educational outcomes for students, Chancellor Rufus Glasper said today adding that the budget “ends state funding for an educational asset that contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy every year.”
In a letter to Maricopa employees, the Chancellor noted that the State’s contribution to Maricopa’s operating budget has been dropping since 1981, when 29% of the District’s budget came from the state.
“From 2007 alone, the state has eliminated about $57 million in funding to the Maricopa Community Colleges’ operating budget and $11 million in capital budget.”
Dr. Glasper noted that “it is ironic that in the same week that the governor’s new budget plan was announced, a research organization released a report that found the Maricopa Community Colleges add $7.3 billion annually in various kinds of income to the Arizona economy.”
The report, Demonstrating the Economic Value of Maricopa County Community College District, summarizes economic impact and return on investment of the Maricopa district in fiscal year 2013-2014. The analysis was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), an organization that specializes in providing economic impact studies and labor market data to educational institutions. EMSI also found that for every dollar contributed by Maricopa County taxpayers to the Maricopa Community Colleges, $4 in benefits is returned to
taxpayers, and that their average annual return on investment is 10.3%
“This withdrawal in state investment in community college education to Maricopa forces very difficult conversations about our ability to serve the growing education needs of our community and to contribute to the economic development goals of our state,” Chancellor Glasper continued. “The fact is that without adequate funding from the state, tuition and property taxes, we will face decisions about how many students we can educate and prepare to fill quality jobs.”
In the face of budget cuts, the Chancellor said Maricopa needs “relief from regulatory disincentives and more flexibility to generate revenues to replace state aid if we are to continue as Arizona’s leading workforce trainers.”
“We look forward to future engagement with our internal and external community, business leaders, and the legislature,” he said.
View the EMSI report on the Maricopa Community Colleges at
https://asa.maricopa.edu/
