With the clock ticking down to the state’s April 1 budget deadline, union leaders, faculty and administrators from in Westchester and Suffolk held press conferences Friday to call for a greater state investment in SUNY two-year campuses.
Despite recent aid increases, state funding for community colleges still falls short of what’s needed to reverse years of under-funding and the devasting impact of COVID-19 on enrollment.
Dante Morelli, president of the Faculty Association Suffolk Community College, and Jim Werner, President of the Westchester Community College Federation of Teachers, said the state’s community colleges are calling for a $22.6 million increase in base funding over the $416.6 million in the proposed executive budget. The one-house Senate budget bill would increase base operating aid to SUNY two-year campuses by $16.7 million, while the Assembly proposes a $12.5 million base aid increase. Community college union leaders are also calling for $100 million to hire faculty, mental health counselors and academic advisors so they can better meet growing student needs.
New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta, who is leading the lobbying effort in Albany, added, “Community colleges provide a high-quality, accessible and affordable education to students. We know a greater investment in our community colleges will yield tremendous returns. We join our colleagues today in calling on the Assembly and Senate to increase the state’s investment in our two-year community college campuses.”