Gov. Phil Murphy’s new proposed budget would see $20 million cut in state aid to community colleges, a year after the state provided a $20 million boost to the two-year colleges. The aid reduction would come as community college presidents maintain their schools are seeing more students drawn by the schools’ affordability.
“The [colleges] are going to have to look at whether they need to raise tuition, which they clearly don’t want to do,” said Aaron Fichtner, president of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. “Do they need to remove programs, reduce programs, reduce student services, lay off staff? These are all decisions that none of our colleges want to confront.”
Augustine Boakye, president of Essex County College, added: “If we do not want to cut the services, then we’ll be forced to call the students to pay more. And that is what we’re trying to avoid.”
