New state aid to community colleges formula proposed

The Education Committee held a hearing Jan. 18 on a bill that would provide a formula to determine the amount of state aid appropriated among the state’s six community colleges for fiscal year 2011-12 and FY2012-13.

LB59, introduced by York Sen. Greg Adams, would distribute the total amount of state aid according to a new formula:
• 8.86 percent for the Central Community College Area;
• 26.51 percent for the Metropolitan Community College Area;
• 9.05 percent for the Mid-Plains Community College Area;
• 28.27 percent for the Southeast Community College Area;
• 13.27 percent for the Western Community College Area; and
• 14.04 percent for the Northeast Community College Area, with 0.1 percent of that amount going to the Nebraska Indian Community College and 0.2 percent to the Little Priest Tribal College.

The previous formula was terminated last session, Adams said, with an understanding that the six colleges’ CEOs would together create a new formula for funding the next two years.

Dennis Baack, executive director of the Nebraska Community College Association, testified in support of the bill. When funds are short, he said, it is difficult to write a formula because there are going to be “winners and losers.”

Regardless of the total amount of aid available to community colleges, he said, the best solution is to calculate a percentage of that aid for each college based on agreed upon factors.

“We are also very aware that this does not end the discussion,” Baack said, noting that the group will begin working Feb. 4 on a new formula for the following years.

“We believe that we can get it done,” he said.

LB59 was advanced to general file 8-0.