Cuts to community, technical schools will push business away from Kentucky
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin addressed the Commonwealth with his budget for the next two years on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Capitol building in Frankfort. The budget included a $110 million cut from UK’s state general funding over the next two years.
February 26, 2016
Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed budget cuts have been a concern for UK students and administrators. While universities like UK are feeling the impact of potential cuts, community and technical will take an even more drastic hit.
If Bevin’s budget passes, KCTCS would cut 61 programs and 539 employees. These cuts are hitting Kentuckians who many not be academically prepared for other schools, or may not have the funds to attend universities.
The cuts are hampering the American dream by making it impossible for students, who attend KCTCS and are eager for a higher education, to find better jobs.
Many UK students have roots in a BCTC education. Programs like BCTC Blue+ and UK Pathway allow for students to transfer to UK and receive their bachelor’s degree. Mary Hemlepp, a public relations officer at KCTCS, said this might keep students from coming to college, or transferring to UK.
By attacking the state’s cheapest and most accessible form of higher education, many who are looking to get ahead — and create more positive opportunities for themselves — could be unable to do so.
According to Hemlepp, KCTCS froze their tuition earlier this year in an attempt to curtail costs. If the cuts are approved, this would mean that students would have to bear the brunt of budget cuts.
“We don’t want to put the cost of college on the backs of our students,” Hemlepp said.
According to Hemlepp, students may take longer to graduate with the cuts. Students who go part time to work off debt, or pay for tuition, are at an even higher disadvantage.
While college may not be for everyone, having a successful, healthy and fulfilling career is. For some that means attending UK or KCTCS programs to achieve their dreams, and budget cuts like those proposed by Bevin would severely curtail students with potential.
If Bevin really wants to create a thriving job market, he needs to focus on supporting education. It’s impossible to bring businesses into the state if the required degree for even manufacturing positions is an associate’s degree.
The stress of paying for a two-year degree, much less a four-year degree, would be crushing.
The cuts on education would not just impact four-year schools, but all other forms of higher education. To stunt these schools would mean stunting the growth of the Commonwealth.
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