BCC Board of Trustees Goes on Record in Opposition to Question One
“Expanding its traditional role of advocate” for Berkshire Community College, BCC’s Board of Trustees has gone on record in opposition to Question One on the November ballot. The following motion was approved by the board earlier this week (9/23) at its regularly scheduled meeting:“In the judgment of the Board, the elimination of the state income tax will jeopardize the future of public higher education in Massachusetts and Berkshire Community College in particular. This college must maintain its viability and vitality as the only community college in Berkshire County providing traditional and non-traditional students with transfer options, professional careers, and continuing education opportunities as well as addressing the needs of the workplace and the community. The people who deliver the quality programs and services that make BCC the strong academic institution it is need to be protected. This necessitates the board’s expanding its traditional role of advocate to take a public stand on Question One.
“Question One must be defeated for the following reason:
1. The state income tax provides 40% of state revenues.
2. Our state appropriation constitutes 50% of our budget of approximately 16 million dollars. Budget cuts at the state level in this fiscal year have already imposed BCC budget cuts of $170,000.
3. Public Higher Education Funding is insufficient in years of positive state revenues. The budget crisis that the loss of state income tax revenue would create for a small college like BCC would be crippling.
4. The potential for across the board cuts would devastate small institutions in rural areas.
5. The cost of education would increase to our students and accessibility to higher education would be greatly diminished.”
