1991

Junior college

vanee

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Budget request

$109Mplea to Legislature

Two-year colleges' budget request to the state for fiscal 1993mcludes • $81 3 million to continue current programs • $15 million for faculty and staff raises • $5 million for libraries ($15 million over 3 years) • $5 million for adult literacy Current state appropria– tion: $69 million Requested increase: $40 million Total request: $109 million from the state Source. state Board lor Community and Junior Colleges -

c:aid Olon Rav, executive director of the state Boanl for Community and ,Junior Colleges. ''That'::= a double whammy we're dealing with," said Clyde Muse, president of Hinds Community College in Raymond. However, Legislative Budget Committee members said they don't knowwhere the extra $40 mil– lion can be found in the state bud– get. "It's not that we don't want to help education. It's not having the money. Nobody wants to pay," said Rep. Ed Buelow of Vicksburg. "We can't come up with $40 million in the budget.... Who are you going to cut? Who are you going to take. 40 million from?" "Not much has changed since we left earlier in the year. It looks bad," said Sen. Bob Montgomery of Can– ton, chairman ofthe Senate Finance Committee.

By Cathy Hayden Clarion-ledger Staff Writer

Leaders of the state's 15 two-vear collegec: pitched a $40 million bud– get in~:reage to a !"Oiemn Legislative Budget Committee on Tuesday. The college" want '109 million from the !'iUHe to continue current programs and begin six others. College leaders cited: • 0\"indling state re\'enue . The collet'es have gotten less money in the last two fiscal years. They re– ceived $72.7 million in 1990, which decreased to $70.4 million in 1991. Thev received $69 million in the currenl fiscal year. • A 26 percent enrollment in– crease in the last five years. The col– gb enrolled 66,150 students in w~ .. c~-91 and expect another 5 per– cent increase this year. "Our student population is grow– ing at an unprecedented rate, and our t>tate dollars are going down," Presidents of Mississippi's 15 two-year colleges are defending lo– cal control of their institutions through a six-page memorandum lhat targets business leaders. The document is beingpenned by Hinds Community College Presi– dent Clyde Muse and Hinds trustee GeorgeWynne ofFlorence on behalf of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the presidents' organization. The presidents last month hired Wynne as theirlegislativt lobb:,ist. The memo was conceived after a Sept. 9 Clsrion-Ledger ed1t.orial called for the state Board for Cot £ munity and Junior Colleges~ "ex– ercise more authority" over the col· ____,.,...__,_;..· l...!I!nAod a" P resi. ·.{ntlluapt:>:>u JJO W<' s,uomwo lSU!l?~U ~! paoe[d ~mJ, ua 1 ~U!A~?fd aJaM .-\aq~ a:>!fod PI~ ~IliJ, ~ 0 !looqs aq1 Jaye s.{up OM'J '.{er)un ~aA!Cf .3u!-8u!s ~B ra!P UOUUBO '})IUS ~S Janneo JO '81 'uomreo Jaqd~· aq"l U! pa~.lBl{O S! '1..1 'HB,L MaJpu· ·.{upsan.t P!liS aonod ~U10d ' TO n~~n 9tn.,n.n••~ ..._•..,,. ...... ~ ....... · - ..-- : _ ...

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The tO-member jumor co&lege board also requested $471,427 more for board expenses, three addi: iml.ru_ staff members and raises for ci current staffers. The board'r; current state appro· priation is $305,928. Junior college heads guard their control By Cathy Hayden Clarion-ledger Staff Writer and the private Public Education range plan for Mississippi education. Forum ofMississippi. "We could defuse some of what

Presidents approved the docu- we've been getting from the MEC ment Tuesday in Jackson. It out- and the Public Education Forum. lines the colleges' mission, philoso- They need facts," said Ted Alexan· phy, accountability, sen ices, fu- der, president of Pearl River Com– ture, cost effectiveness, governance munity College in Poplarville. and funding. The memo contains "some good MEC sponsored a 1988 study information that will open the eyes of that concluded t he junior college a lot ofpeople,'' said Barry Mellinger, board should control the colleges. president of l\lississippi Gulf Coast The Jackson-based Public Educa- Community College in Perkinston. tion Forum is a group of business Presidents criticized The Clarion– leaders, educator$ and ln"'mak7s hedgrr it6rlal for t>a}ing two-year WhO meet tA'> d SCliSS eouc:atlon,ll:i- , c·~~ S nc iversities should be sues. The forum is writin 'a loug- cont.ro ectu a single board. I I I J I

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CARTHAGINIAN ~lORTON TRIBU't"l':-..J..... E--- NESHOBA DEMOCRAT :-..JE \\'TON RECORD CLARION -LEDGER v _ :::...._

SCOTT COUXTY TIMES UXIOX APPE.-\L WIXSTO~ COUNTY JOUR~AL MERIDI.-\X STAR

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