Below is a summary of Gov. Joe Manchin's proposed fiscal year 2009 budget, pertaining to community colleges and based on a report released Jan. 16 from the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education.
Overall budget
The governor's budget bill and expected supplemental appropriations bills contain significant one-time funding for higher education, but far less in terms of ongoing increases.
Operating budget/salaries
The budget contains approximately $8.96 million in increases for four-year institution operating budgets and about $1,2 million in increases to two-year institution operating budgets. These funds are intended for 3 percent salary increases for employees. Importantly, no funding has been provided for employees paid from tuition and fee dollars or from non-appropriated accounts, which means that tuition (and other revenue) would need to be increased to cover the remaining costs of 3 percent salary increases. No additional new operating funds.
Financial aid
The governor's budget includes only the statutory-mandated increases for the PROMISE Scholarship program ($816,000) and the higher education grant program ($660,000) contained in House Bill 4690 (2006).
"Bucks for Jobs"/Workforce Development
The combined Development Office and Community and Technical College System budgets contain:
- $2 million in additional funding for WV ADVANCE (rapid response workforce development); and
- $1 million in additional funding for technical program development.
"Bucks for Jobs"/Allied Health program expansion
Expected is a supplemental appropriation bill with $7.15 million for the Community and Technical College System's proposed allied health program expansion.
"Bucks for Jobs"/Advanced Technology Centers
$30 million for construction of two advanced technology centers is expected to be included in a supplemental appropriation bill.
Other capital funding
The following capital funding items have been or are expected to be proposed:
- $5 million for community and technical college bonding. (A 30-year bond would generate $75-80 million.)
- $8 million for the high-priority capital projects as identified in the Higher Education Policy Commission's proposal is expected in a supplemental appropriation bill. (Institutions will be expected to generate a 50 percent match.)
- $7 million to start an energy savings revolving loan fund for higher education institutions is expected in a supplemental appropriation bill.
"Bucks for Brains"/Academic Research
Expected is a supplemental appropriation bill with $50 million in funding (70 percent for West Virginia University and 30 percent for Marshall University) for the Bucks for Brains Initiative, similar to Kentucky's initiative.
Other initiatives
- Higher Education Portal ($2 million). One-time funding, expected in a supplemental appropriation bill, to create and sustain over five years a portal containing higher education information.
- Area Health Education Centers ($600,000). Ongoing funding, potentially to backfill lost federal revenue for rural health education efforts.
- Regional Education Model Inc. ($119,000 in one-time funding to purchase software for the WVU and MU business and economic research units and $60,000 in ongoing funding for related maintenance).
- Center for Excellence in Disabilities ($100,000). Ongoing funding to assist in meeting federal maintenance-of-effort expectations.
Other issues
- West Liberty State College/West Virginia State University. The governor's budget erroneously placed the $725,023 in Title III-B funding backfill in West Liberty's budget instead of West Virginia State's budget. This error will be corrected.
- Primarily Health Education Program Support. These funds have been reallocated to the base budgets of the WVU School of Health Sciences and Marshall's medical school.
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