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Education rally's focus is funding
"NO MORE CUTS!"
That was the overriding cry at a rally held in Frankfort on Thursday, which was attended by numerous students and staff in the Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges System.
"It went really well," said Susanne Wilson, chief institutional advancement officer and executive director of the College Foundation Inc. at Henderson Community College.
She said that, in all, roughly 600 people from across the state attended the rally in support of keeping higher education accessible to grow the state's economy and help Kentuckians find high-wage, high-growth jobs.
Wilson said about 850 people were expected to participate in the rally, but a couple of colleges in the eastern part of Kentucky had to cancel their trips due to weather issues.
She said there were four student speakers, two of whom were non-traditional students. Gov. Steve Beshear was unable to attend, but his wife, Jane Beshear, gave a speech in support of education.
Wilson said the group from The Hill was about 55 to 60 strong when it was met by State Sen. Dorsey Ridley at the Capitol.
"I told the group that, even though we are one of the smallest colleges, we had one of the largest groups heading up, so I think that was" really important, she added.
The rally was under the theme of "Transforming Lives. Transforming Kentucky."
The overall goal of the initiative is to get state legislators on board so that, a couple of years from now, two-year colleges like The Hill will be in a better position to flexibly and ably respond to the needs of area residents.
There are many ways to do this, according to Pat Lake, president of Henderson Community College.
First on the list is that HCC and other KCTCS campuses should continue to receive at least its current level of funding.
Other priorities identified by KCTCS include:
- Recouping funds that were cut when new buildings, like the Sullivan Technology Center, were opened.
- Funding for "bricks and mortar" capital projects like the expansion of the Henderson Fine Arts Center and construction of a child development center.
- More funding to specifically address remediation for new students, and funding for a pilot program that would offer an online dual-credit program for high school students.
