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Community College of Rhode Island reports budget pressure, outlines Fresh Start return‑to‑college program and apprenticeship expansion
Summary
CCRI told the Senate Finance Committee it remains 17% below pre‑pandemic enrollment, is pursuing a voluntary retirement program and vacancy management to balance budgets, and reported that the Fresh Start scholarship has reengaged roughly 2,400 adult learners since 2023
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) presented its FY2026 budget context to the Senate Finance Committee on March 25, saying enrollment remains below pre‑pandemic levels and the college plans personnel and programmatic measures to balance operations while pursuing targeted growth.
President Kastigan told the committee CCRI is about 17% below 2019 enrollment levels, which the college said has produced roughly $4.1 million in operating shortfalls. To address the gap, CCRI described a multi‑year set of actions: a voluntary retirement incentive for eligible employees; a planned vacancy float (about $10 million, roughly 100 positions) to be managed by leadership; modest increases in tuition and fees (about 5.7% proposed); targeted nonpersonnel reductions; and use of an institutional fund balance to smooth the transition.
On student reengagement, the president said the Fresh Start scholarship—launched in fall 2023 with federal pandemic recovery dollars—has enrolled roughly 2,400 returning adult learners and recorded 114 graduates so far. Kastigan described Fresh Start as a last‑dollar program that helps students who previously lost eligibility for federal financial aid to reenter college, appeal for satisfactory academic progress, and then leverage Pell and other federal aid going forward. The college said remaining funds are projected to support roughly 500 additional returning students next year.
Kastigan asked the committee to support two modest changes to the Rhode Island Promise scholarship: allow credit‑bearing certificates to be eligible (estimated cost $82,500 annually) and permit a one‑semester extension of eligibility for high school graduates who delay enrollment up to one semester (estimated cost $62,500). He said the governor—s proposed FY26 Promise funding could absorb those changes without an increase to the program total.
The college described workforce and apprenticeship plans that align training to state needs. The governor—s proposed budget includes funds for apprenticeship infrastructure and culinary program capital improvements tied to Newport campus expansion. Kastigan said CCRI would open a new 1‑Stop student services center and highlighted partnerships with industry and military research programs that provide paid student internships.
Why it matters: CCRI is the state—s primary community college and a central provider of workforce credentials; the college said state support is critical amid federal policy uncertainty and post‑pandemic enrollment shifts.
Provenance: President Kastigan—s presentation and Q&A were recorded March 25, 2025.
