PCC Chancellor Flores: Gov. Brewer’s Budget ‘A Step in the Right Direction’

January 13, 2012

Tucson, AZ – Chancellor Roy Flores today welcomed the increase in state funding for Pima Community College that Gov. Jan Brewer is recommending in her proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013.

The budget, announced Friday afternoon, recommends an appropriation of $7,353,500 for PCC in the fiscal year beginning July 1. That is $207,000 more than was appropriated for the College in Fiscal Year 2012.

“While this is a modest increase after several years of deep cuts, it’s a step in the right direction,” Chancellor Flores said.  “It is good to see that Governor Brewer recognizes the key role that Pima and Arizona’s other community colleges must play if the state is to create a skilled workforce and a strong economy.”

Chancellor Flores noted that the state reduced PCC’s 2012 appropriation by 55 percent compared to 2011, and that state aid to PCC has fallen by almost 70 percent since 2009. In 2004, state appropriations accounted for 12.8 percent of PCC’s budget, compared to 3 percent in 2012.

Chancellor Flores also welcomed Gov. Brewer’s proposal, outlined in her “Four Cornerstones of Reform” policy statement, to double the number of Arizona college students who receive bachelor’s degrees by 2020.

“It’s an ambitious but important goal that can be achieved if the state does its part in providing the resources that higher education needs,” Chancellor Flores said. “Community colleges are an affordable steppingstone to students seeking to transfer to a four-year university.”

CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850