Maryland community colleges remain great partners in new state budget realities

Maryland state lawmakers have publicized a new report detailing a $2.7 billion budget deficit for FY26, with expected costs for K-12 education and unexpected crises like the Key Bridge tragedy being clear highlights. 

Howard County residents, specifically supporters of Howard Community College, always pay special attention to the annual budgetary impact on education. It is a cornerstone of what makes the county's quality of life among the nation’s best.

I was proud to chair the county's Blueprint for Maryland Resources Working Group, an initiative whose mandated costs have been uniquely identified as a major part of the state deficit. Our group was keenly aware of how economic trends may impact our ability to fund teacher development, retention, and academic readiness for primary and secondary students. 

The state and its counties will make difficult decisions about balancing the budget. We know lawmakers are likely to consider tax increases and substantial cuts to right-size what state officials call the worst deficit in the last 20 years and that education is a likely area of first consideration for possible reductions in appropriations.

At HCC, we have been preparing for lean budgets and have operated the college accordingly while strategically investing in our students through program development to support enrollment growth and in our employees through salary increases and stabilized cost sharing in benefits each of the last three years. 

We believe that streamlining academic offerings through seven-week sessions and our forthcoming workforce development and skilled trades center will create a favorable view of our institution as lawmakers consider the best way forward.

Working with our county delegation, we will partner with state and county governments to make the case that community colleges will be a critical resource in reversing some of the state's socioeconomic downward trends and creating and filling living-wage jobs throughout Maryland. 

We are the sector offering direct training for classroom-to-job curriculum design and apprenticeships that get Marylanders to work quickly and permanently. According to the 2023 Maryland Community Colleges' Workforce Training Report, the state will have over 323,000 new positions in healthcare, transportation, education, manufacturing, and skilled trades before 2030. 

We are a significant part of establishing the workforce identity of central Maryland and our state. HCC is among the state's fastest-growing producers of registered apprenticeships, and it will provide the needed credentials for residents to fill these jobs. 

For our students, we offer the flexibility for families to work and learn simultaneously and to support those with families whose obligations as parents or caretakers are a common obstacle to degree completion. 

Howard Community College and our peer institutions throughout Maryland have a bright future in helping grow our population and economy, encouraging youth success, and eliminating poverty, even in rough economic times. It will be a difficult road, made more challenging by uncertainty around the policies that may change in the federal government for state support. But we trust our elected officials' ability to make tough decisions that center humanity and build long-term economic potential for our friends and neighbors. 

I look forward to sharing more with you in the future as our legislative lobbying takes shape around budget activity.