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Mississippi community colleges request $61.5M for operations, $150M for facilities and $2M for adult education
Summary
Presidents and the Community College Board told the Appropriations Committee they seek $61.5 million for salary increases and operations, a $150 million facilities package to address a $413 million backlog of capital and repair needs, and $2 million to expand adult education for Mississippians without a high school diploma.
Leaders of Mississippi’s community colleges urged the Appropriations Committee to approve increased operating support and a major facilities investment to maintain campuses and expand adult education.
Jim Happy, identified himself as president of Homes Community College and chair of the presidents’ association, outlined systemwide metrics: 88,600 students enrolled in the 2023 academic year, including 37,625 university-parallel students, 18,032 career-technical students and roughly 21,400 dual-enrollment high school students. Happy described pilot programs and partnerships—such as Power Path for K–12 advanced manufacturing credentials and partnership training tied to the Amplify battery manufacturing project—and said career-coach outreach has produced 22,046 unique interactions this school year.
The presidents and the Community College Board’s executive director (identified in the hearing as Kell) requested two primary funding packages for FY27. On the operating side they seek $61.5 million composed of a 6% salary increase (about $28 million for ~8,319 college employees), $28.5 million for basic operations (utilities, insurance and other rising costs) and funds for Career Tech Advantage startup support. For facilities, the system requested $150 million to address maintenance, repair and renovation needs; presenters said the system has roughly 18.9 million square feet across 1,047 buildings and identified approximately $413 million in needs across capital improvements, repair and renovation projects, and pre-planning.
Kell asked the committee to restore $310,000 in general‑fund cuts to the coordinating board and requested a new $2 million appropriation for adult education programming to reach Mississippians without a high school diploma (the board cited a statewide population estimate of roughly 300,000 adults without a diploma). The board’s economic‑impact study, completed in March 2025 and cited at the hearing, reported that more than 84% of community college graduates remain in Mississippi to work or continue education within a year and that applied graduates have materially higher first‑year wages.
Senators asked follow-up questions about the facilities request, including what portion would fund athletic facilities (board representatives said athletic projects are a small share and not contemplated in the $150 million core request) and whether the board could provide itemized project breakdowns (the board offered to supply a detailed listing). Committee members also pressed for last‑year expenditure figures for previously appropriated adult‑education funds and for data tracking implementation of programs funded earlier.
Committee members raised concerns about rising insurance costs—the board said insurance increases reflected higher reconstruction and replacement costs, claims exposure and growing cybersecurity coverage needs—and emphasized the importance of support staff, not just faculty, when considering salary increases.
The hearing closed with committee members thanking college leaders and requesting follow-up materials such as a breakdown of proposed capital projects and expenditure data for prior adult education appropriations.
