LANSING – State Representative Fred Miller (D-Mount Clemens) today announced that the House-Senate conference committee on community colleges reported out its budget on a unanimous vote. Under the agreement between the House and Senate members, community colleges will not see a cut in their funding this year.
"Community colleges are a great way for our workers who have lost their jobs to downsizing and outsourcing to get training in high-demand fields and make a fresh start," said Miller, Chair of the House Appropriations Community Colleges Subcommittee. "These colleges deserve and require the proper funding to educate our residents in new job fields, prepare them for higher level education or further their current education."
The budget agreement restored cuts made by the Senate and followed the Governor's funding recommendation. Under the Senate passed budget, Macomb Community College stood to lose over $180,000, the fifth highest amount of all the colleges.
"I am proud that this final agreement restored funding to all the colleges back to last years levels," Miller said. "In these tough economic times, community colleges are an important tool to retraining and educating our workforce. Macomb Community College has been on the leading end of training workers in high-demand fields, cuts in funding would have been detrimental to its mission."
The budget also included language to encourage community colleges to pursue cost cutting measures to maximize their funding. These measures could include increasing efficiencies, establishing joint ventures with businesses, universities and other community colleges as well as collaborating on programs or consolidating services.
"We have the opportunity to make Michigan an economic powerhouse of the 21st century," Miller said. "But to do this, we have to be a hotbed for 21st century jobs. Community colleges can react to the needs of their communities and the state quickly and are a cornerstone to getting Michigan back to work."