NOTE: The PDF version of this bulletin includes:

• a table providing a recent history of Community College Base Aid per FTE; and
• a chart of the net operating cost, the state operating aid, student tuition revenue, and local sponsor revenue for each of the community colleges for 2008-09.
• DOWNLOAD: PDF Version

Although the state legislature recently rejected Governor Paterson's proposal for a 2008-09 mid-year Base Aid cut to community colleges, the freeze in Base Aid for 2008-09 will result in the state share of community college funding decreasing from 30.8% in the 2007-08 academic year to 30.3% in 2008-09.

The threat of a reduction in Base Aid for 2009-10 remains because Governor Paterson proposed a 10% average decrease, from $2,675 to $2,405 in his 2009-10 Executive Budget proposal. If the legislature were to adopt this cut, it is estimated that the state share for community colleges could drop to as low as 26%.

Community colleges are supposed to receive 40% of their net operating costs from state aid, 33.3% from student tuition revenue, and 26.7% from the local sponsor. However the average state aid share for 2008-09 is just 30.3%, with individual campuses ranging from 17.2% to 38.8%. The average share of net operating costs from student tuition is 38.5%, with individual campuses ranging from 24.7% to 47.7%. The average share of net operating costs from the local sponsor is 31.2%, with individual campuses ranging from 15.7% to 58.1%.