Coval, Riley advocate for state funding increases for higher education
Butler County’s higher education institutions are working to make sure they don’t get flat-funded by the state for a second year in a row.
Following last year’s state budget impasse, which lasted over four months, neither the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges nor the Pennsylvania State System for Higher Education received their total requests. Funding levels remained flat year-over-year.
When Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal came out in February, at $53.3 billion, it did not include any increases for education.
“Nonetheless, we are still advocating for those increases with the General Assembly,” BC3 president Megan Coval said. “That request for those operating funds represents funds that will allow institutions to continue to offer high level programs.”
Presidents of Butler County’s colleges — Coval, along with Karen Riley of Slippery Rock University — have spent time in Harrisburg testifying in front of the House Appropriations Committee and lobbying for their schools and college partnerships to receive funding increases this budget season.
Officials of the community colleges are asking for a 6% increase to their operating budget revenue. The state-owned universities are asking for a 5% increase. They say built-in costs mean flat-funding is not even year-over-year.
Tuesday Stanley, president of the commission for community colleges, said in a news release that an increased allocation in operating funding for the education sector will provide a significant return on investment, with community colleges contributing over $13.6 billion annually to the state’s economy.
“The Pennsylvania community college sector acknowledges this is a difficult budget year for the commonwealth. Flat-funding will further pressure our 15 institutions, who take great pride in providing affordable, accessible and high-quality education to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” Stanley said.
At SRU, officials see a positive outlook, with record retention at 86.4%, and overall admissions up along with other “key indicators.” They see the funding increases as vital to continuing that momentum.
“Flat-funding, with the increases that are already built in to what we have to do, is actually a cut,” Riley said. “We won’t have the same amount of money if there isn’t some kind of increase.”
According to BC3, a 6% Increase to its operating line item would support paying for rising costs of “affordable, high-quality” education and workforce training programs. It would increase access to technology and programs that align with Pennsylvania’s workforce needs, such as renewable energy, health care and advanced manufacturing, according to the commission. It would also invest in targeted initiatives to reduce barriers for rural, urban and first-generation students, ensuring equitable opportunities for success, the college claims.
The commission is a unifying body for Pennsylvania’s 15 community college systems. Every year, the commission submits a request that is “reflective” of the asks by all community colleges in Pennsylvania to support its combined 264,000 students, Coval said.
“We really represent a large number of students, and making sure that we’re properly funded allows us to provide a quality, and acceptable, education for students across the commonwealth,” Coval said.
Programs offered by the colleges can rely heavily on state funding. BC3 points to programs with a larger societal and economic impact. This includes the registered nursing program, teaching students in a state where 75% of registered nurses are trained by community colleges.
BC3 officials also point to $10 million requested in new funding to community colleges for training of police officers, firefighters and EMTs as an example of programs that would benefit from increases. The public safety program trains firefighters who have gone to work in 35 of 67 Pennsylvania counties.
With the current proposal from the governor’s office including flat-funding, now begins the process of asking “what do you actually need?” and groups like PASSHE and community colleges making that case, Riley said.
“It’s a very data-driven process,” Riley said. “PASSHE does not ask for more than what it needs.”
Funding also goes toward built-in costs, offsetting built-in increases and general maintenance. This includes paying the salaries of professors and other faculty, fixing basic infrastructure, upgrading academic facilities and other capital projects and meeting other contract obligations.
Coming up with a total number to request from the state goes deeper than looking at university surpluses and deficits. One thing they look at is the consumer price index, getting a feel of the costs of goods and services going up from inflation. Things like fuel costs and energy have to be accounted for in colleges’ budgeting.
The presidents both credited their boards for being student- and faculty-oriented and wanting to keep those costs down, trying to best utilize funding from taxpayer dollars.
“When we negotiate with our unions four-, five-year contracts, they have escalation clauses. We have great faculty and staff, and we want to make sure they are compensated fairly, and we’re fortunate to have that group,” Riley said.
The long process before submission of funding requests includes discussion with the governor’s office, looking at what the needs of the university are, overall financial footing, inflation, consumer price index and more, the college presidents said.
In Harrisburg, Coval and Riley were questioned by lawmakers, including Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, and gave answers highlighting the success of their schools and what would help them stay the course moving forward.
“Any time I can get in front of our legislators and talk about Slippery Rock (University), that’s a great opportunity for me. Slippery Rock is doing exceedingly well. We set a record for retention at 86.4(%), that’s a PASSHE record. Our admissions are up. Our key performance indicators are up,” Riley said.
The “advocacy role,” they said, includes talking about budget needs to continue being institutions of quality and accessibility.
“We work very hard to be fiscally responsible and good stewards of the taxpayer dollars we get, and the tuition dollars we receive, and we are continually looking at ways we can reduce costs, but doing so while providing quality, accessible education, being innovative, being a hub of the community,” Coval said. “There’s always that balance of cost containment, which is very important to us, as we try to be as efficient with our resources as possible, while also making sure we are serving the community as we have.”
