Malloy's Budget Elicits Ire from Community College Students

By Brandon T. Bisceglia

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

If Governor Dan Malloy’s proposed budget for next year passes the Connecticut State Legislature, it will reduce funding for the state’s 12 community colleges from $158,282,029 to $149,130,964 – a drop of almost $10 million. His proposal for the year after that would cut another $3.5 million.

The community colleges have already seen minor reductions in funding over the past four years, at the same time that the colleges have been experiencing unprecedented increases in enrollment and pressures to expand their services.

The easiest way for the colleges to make up for lost state revenues is to increase enrollment costs and other fees that students pay.

The Student Government Association of Gateway Community College has issued the below statement urging students at all the community colleges to contact the appropriate legislators and express their dissatisfaction over these budget cuts. HCC’s Student Senate has also come out strongly against the cuts, and plans to issue its own initiatives in the coming days.