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Community colleges say Pell and Perkins cuts would force program closures and workforce setbacks
Summary
Council of County Colleges and Brookdale Community College told legislators that Pell, Perkins and competitive workforce grants together support hundreds of thousands of students and critical CTE programs; leaders said cuts could force program eliminations, hiring freezes and, in some cases, campus closures.
Representatives of New Jersey's community college system and Brookdale Community College told the joint Assembly–Senate hearing that federal funds are a cornerstone of their operations and student supports. Aaron (Council of County Colleges) said the sector receives about $300,000,000 in federal funding annually; that figure covers Pell grants, loans and competitive grants. He told legislators roughly 49,000 community college students statewide receive Pell grants.
President David Stout of Brookdale said the college's Pell allocation is about $11,000,000, supporting some 2,800 students, and that Perkins funding (about $12,000,000 statewide) pays for equipment and staffing for career and technical education programs such as cybersecurity and health sciences. Stout said losing Perkins would likely force elimination of some CTE programs and could render some colleges unsustainable: "If we were to lose this funding, it's guaranteed that colleges would close across the state," he said.
The witnesses urged the Legislature to consider state mitigation strategies and to prioritize targeted support for workforce programs that serve adult learners and local employers.
Committee members asked about program pivots and the ability to sustain new technology or cybersecurity training without federal support; witnesses said institutions would have to make "scalpel" cuts and prioritize survival of core services.
