Thursday, February 07, 2008
Governor Culver: Community Colleges Critically Important To The Vitality Of Our State
New Senior Year Plus Legislation to give high school students a head start on higher education
(Des Moines) Today, Governor Chet Culver traveled to DMACC Community College in Des Moines and will later travel to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids to announce new legislation creating the Senior Year Plus program and discuss the important role Iowa’s community college’s play in educating Iowa’s youth.
“I have a portrait in my office of Governor Harold Hughes, who helped start our terrific Community College system more than 40 years ago,” said Governor Culver. “Our community colleges are more, not less, important to the vitality of our state than they were when Governor Hughes led Iowans to make their initial investment into today’s community college system. Iowa’s young people deserve every opportunity for a successful future, and community colleges are helping us do just that. The Senior Year Plus Program helps our young people earn college credit while in high school, and this new investment will ensure that more students will have a chance to make their educational goals come true.”
Governor Culver’s proposal is designed to give every student -- regardless of where they live -- access to at least 30 hours of college credit while they are in high school. It will bring all existing programs for college credit, including AP and community college courses, under the umbrella of one “Senior Year Plus” program, making options easier to understand for schools, teachers, parents and students.
The new legislation calls for a $3.5 million investment in the program. These funds will be used to help students pay for Advanced Placement exams, help cover the costs for courses at community colleges, create a web-based clearinghouse about Senior Year Plus courses through the Department of Education and help bring all education sectors together to improve the quality and maximize the transferability of these courses.
Later in the day, Governor Culver is traveling to Kirkwood Community College to tour the Industrial Technologies Program, which is helping to train young Iowans with the skills needed to work in Iowa’s growing advanced manufacturing sector.
“Community colleges must be a part of any education conversation we have at the Capitol,” said Governor Culver. “For 40 years, they have helped educate our children, and we must have the input of Iowa’s community colleges to ensure our high school seniors are learning what they need to succeed in college.”
In 2007, Governor Culver signed a budget that included $174 million in state funding for the Community Colleges, the largest amount in state history. The Governor presented a 2008 budget to the Legislature which included an increase of nearly 3% above this amount for a new record of $177 million for the next fiscal year.