Written by ronsanders Thursday, 05 November 2009 12:17
Madisonville, KY – The recession is taking its toll on revenue for the State of Kentucky. Kentucky’s costs of corrections, state employee benefits and Medicaid are increasing at alarming rates. Any Frankfort politician considering a tax increase will have his or her head handed to them in the next election. Given these dismal facts, Dr. Michael McCall, president of KCTCS, is concerned about additional funding cuts. The success of the KCTCS has been quite remarkable. The 16 campuses provide access for 95% of Kentuckians within 30 minutes of their home. This suits the non-traditional student as well as traditional students seeking low cost options for quality education. As our society has changed, the need for postsecondary education has become critical. As technology as changed, the need for better technical schools is very apparent to most employers. KCTCS has become the primary provider for workforce development in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and its 3,000 members are placing a very high priority on education. There is an absolute correlation between education levels of the workforce and income levels. KCTCS with 106,000 students enrolled is a vital part of the education mix for Kentucky.
Dr. McCall has gone on the road to rally legislative and public support to sustain current funding from the legislators next year. McCall is urging the public to visit their website at www.kctcs.edu and sign on to support state funding at the current rate of $214,931.200 per year. Total budget for all campuses is $713,019,800.
McCall made the full presentation to approximately 100 community leaders Wednesday at a breakfast in the Glema Mahr Center and later to the Madisonville Rotary Club at lunch. Dr. Judy Rhoads introduced Dr. McCall at both events and reminded those in attendance of the impact of Madisonville Community College in this region of Kentucky. MCC has 4,500 students this semester. This is triple the 1,500 students when Dr. Rhoads took over as president of MCC a few years ago.
There will be a rally in Frankfort on February 25, 2010 at the Capitol Rotunda to rally Kentuckians for Community and Technical Colleges (KCTCS Day). The public is encouraged to attend this rally in support of continued state funding for Kentucky’s Community Colleges.
Ron Sanders
iSurf News
