With the intentions of tightening the budget, the North Carolina General Assembly asked the Program Evaluation Oversight Committee to study the state’s community college system.
The committee was asked to find the most efficient and effective way to administer the local community college system, while also directing the division to ensure the success of the students.
Their results showed the state could save $26.2 million over seen years by merging some of the 58 community colleges state wide.
Colleges with less than 3,000 students would merge with other community colleges that are within 30 miles of each other.
Breanna Justice is studying to be a Surgical Tech at Blue Ridge Community College but she may not continue taking classes she said if Blue Ridge merged with another school like Asheville-Buncombe Tech.
“Lottery here I come but that’s only in dreamland,” said Justice.
Breanna, like others at BRCC used to attend college in Asheville but switched back to Flat Rock, NC because of cost and location.
She has two small children and says driving to Asheville would mean less time with them and more time at the gas pump.
“Any extra money I get besides what I can do for school is for them. It’s hard enough to come up with gas money to go small distances,” said Justice.
President of Blue Ridge Community College Molly Parkhill said the merger will not only hurt students but also the community.
“We work very closely with our business and industries with out economic developers trying to meet the workforce needs of our community by moving that to another location we create some challenges for us to be able to be as responsive to our communities,” said Parkhill.
She said that consolidating community colleges will save only $5 million just over $300,000 for Blue Ridge alone.
She also said the college could lose valuable local donors who may not give to the college if the main campus was to relocate.
The state said smaller colleges have higher administration costs and merging them could also bring more purchasing power so the state could get a better price from vendors.
But Breanna said while merging schools could bring more money to some classrooms.
“The extra traveling would take out of time with family,” said Justice.
It would take away from what she says are more important things.
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