North Carolina community colleges ask state for 5% raises, $61M budget supplement
(The Center Square) – North Carolina community colleges have asked for 5% salary increases in the next fiscal year.
Representatives for the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and private colleges and universities presented their funding requests Thursday to the House and Senate education appropriations committees.
NCCCS President Thomas Stith III told lawmakers the system needs salary increases to attract and retain staff.
“This is our first step in becoming competitive,” Stith said. “We can’t sustain the critical work that our colleges are pursuing now if we don’t have the talent. If we don’t retain it. If we’re not able to attract it.”
The General Assembly must create a state spending plan for the next two fiscal years during this legislative session. Each fiscal year starts July 1 and ends June 30 the following calendar year. Lawmakers must consider changes to recurring funding and one-time allocations.
The NCCCS has asked for $60.2 million in recurring funds in fiscal year 2021-2022 to cover the pay raises for its staff and faculty at 58 campuses across the state. Stith said North Carolina’s community college system is the third-largest in the country but was ranked 40th for employee salaries. The NCCCS have lost faculty and staff to the private sector, four‐year colleges and public schools, he said, because of more attractive pay.
“I’ve talked to presidents that have nursing programs,” Stith said. “They report they have openings, positions available, and they advertise. Two or three weeks will pass with no applications.”
According to the most-recent NCCCS salary report, the average system salary in the 2018‐19 fiscal year was $49,481. Employees did not receive pay raises in the past two fiscal years, Stith said.
The NCCCS has a recommended base budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 of $1.6 billion. It receives 66.3% of its funding from the state, 15.3% from local governments, 17% from tuition and fees and the remainder from the federal government.
Stith also asked lawmakers Thursday for nearly $36 million to upgrade the NCCCS’ information technology system and cybersecurity, including $1.4 million to hire nine IT experts. Stith said four colleges have faced cyberattacks since 2019, which crippled online operations for up to two weeks.
“We think it’s very critical at this time to provide the adequate funding to strengthen our system, to protect our system,” Stith said.
The NCCCS and North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) have called on the state for budget support because of enrollment declines.
The NCCCS is seeking $61 million in nonrecurring funds to stabilize its budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022. NCICU President Hope Williams said the schools have been facing financial aid losses since the last recession.
Williams asked lawmakers Thursday to increase recurring funding of state need-based aid from $88.9 million to $99.9 million and to supply $750,000 to provide a scholarship to NCICU students who graduate from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
NCICU also is asking for $6 million in one-time financial aid for students whose families have been affected negatively by COVID-19. The General Assembly provided $30 million in COVID-19 relief last year to private schools and universities to support students and acquire personal protective equipment.
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