GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College was appropriated $10.6 million from the state Senate Committee on Ways and Means’ for the 2018 budget Tuesday afternoon. That money would reach the school’s asked amount, but is subject to change as it moves through committee in a time when the state is clamping down on its spending.
The total budget from the Senate bumped up 1 percent, a modest increase in a time of budget cuts.
State Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, noted the emphasis on education in this year’s budget, although said there are still significant holes, particularly for upper education in the state.
“Is it enough? Definitely not,” Rosenberg said about the money designated to upper education. “It still means they can’t reduce student charges.”
At a moment when a national conversation is had about making aspects of upper education free, including the possibility of free community college, the state’s goal is to make public, state colleges and universities as affordable for students in Massachusetts as possible.
“We need to do all of the campuses, because whichever campus a student decides to go to they’re going to face the same difficulties,” Rosenberg said.
As for Greenfield Community College, the governor’s office appropriated $278,000 less than the Senate’s amount and the House appropriated $203,000 less. The budget remains a question mark though as it moves out of the Ways and Means Committee.
The funding allotment is a $432,790 increase from last year’s budget, a 4 percent increase in a time when the total budget increased by 1 percent.
“I know it’s not a huge number overall but it’s substantially higher than the governor and House (allotment),” Rosenberg said. “We will certainly fight to keep as much of the money as possible for higher education.”
Greenfield Community College President Bob Pura looks to continue the focus on education.
“I’m ready to stand with the senator on the need for that conversation and the need to change our revenue structure,” Pura said. “We need to maintain our commitment to the public investment that we’ve made and so we need the revenue to do that.”
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