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Governor's Biennial Budget Released
Includes Proposal to Exclude CT Private Colleges from Governor’s Scholarship Program
Governor Malloy has released his proposed biennial budget for FY 16 & FY 17. A summary of that budget may be found here.
This budget proposes excluding Connecticut students who attend Connecticut private colleges from receiving state financial aid funds through the Governor’s Scholarship Program, beginning next year (See HB 6845). While Connecticut’s budget is extremely tight this year given an economy that has failed to recover at a rate as fast as the rest of the nation, the savings achieved by this cut pale in comparison to the policy implications it will have on needy students and the state’s workforce. Based on an average award of $2,666 in 2013-2014, this proposal will impact an estimated 1,700 needy students in FY 16 and 2,850 needy students in FY 17.
While Connecticut has a relatively well-educated population compared to other states, according to a recent draft report adopted by the state’s Planning Commission for Higher Education, we are not prepared to meet the skilled workforce needs in the foreseeable future. The report, written in consultation with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), notes that in 2012, 47.5% of Connecticut’s population had an Associate’s Degree or higher. Projections done by Georgetown University’s Center on Education in the Workforce indicate that by 2025, Connecticut’s economy will require a workforce in which 70% of residents have education beyond high school.
In specific reference to our state’s financial aid policy, the Planning Commission states that “the capacities of sectors, including the independent sector, must be harnessed if state goals are to be reached.” Cutting private colleges out of the state supported financial aid program, which provides college access for needy students to the state’s most productive institutions is contrary to what the Planning Commission determined is needed for our economy to thrive.
Further, the education attainment gaps between whites and minorities are greater in Connecticut than in almost all other states in the country. CCIC member institutions graduate minority students in 4-years at a significantly higher rate than their public counterparts and 2,458 minority students attending CCIC member institutions received a Governor’s Scholarship grant in 2013-2014 – 44% of all grant recipients at our schools. To help close the attainment gap, the state needs to continue to invest in the Governor’s Scholarship Program for needy students to attend Connecticut private colleges.
Last, the investment the state makes in Connecticut students to attend Connecticut private colleges is a partnership; a partnership that CCIC’s member institutions take seriously. As this week’s graph of the week illustrates, in 2013-2014, CCIC member institutions invested over $70 million in need-based aid for Connecticut undergraduate students. In turn, over 5,500 Connecticut students received $14 million in Governor’s Scholarship Grant aid. This partnership allows Connecticut students the opportunity to attend the institution that might best fit their needs. It allows them to graduate in four years, more likely than not. It allows the state to meet its needs in the areas of the greatest economic growth such as engineering and computer science in this state.
We hope you will join us in our fight to stop this proposal from becoming law. Stay tuned for more details on how you can help. In the meantime, please consider testifying in opposition to this proposal by attending the Appropriations Committee’s public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 6 PM or submitting written testimony. For more information, please contact Jennifer Widness at widnessj@theccic.org.
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From FY09-FY14, need-based institutional aid to CT undergrads at
member campuses increased more than $26.6 million (almost 63%).
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