County can invest in people with community college
The following op-ed appeared in the Erie Times News today. Written by Andre Horton, president of the NAACP, Erie Branch, he addresses the need of investing in people through a community college:
A lot has changed since I grew up as one of 11 children in Erie’s lower West Side. I’ve seen public funds construct a new highway on our bay front. This spurred a tax-payer supported public library and a $100 million dollar convention center. Government is now working to expand our airport, redo the Tullio Convention Center, and tear down GAF.
On Tuesday, County Council has a chance to do something different. They can, for once, invest in people. For decades, the road to opportunity has been blocked for thousands of Erie County residents. Our City and County high schools do a good job educating our citizens; graduation rates are right at national averages. But our educational attainment rates, the percent of adults with a bachelors degree or higher, dramatically lag behind Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation. The census tells us we are 10% below Pennsylvania and 16% below the United States.
Education correlates to wealth. Once again, there is a gap. Our per capita income dramatically trails Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation. We are 19% below Pennsylvania and 21% below the United States. The really scary news is that these gaps continue to increase. This cannot continue for our County, our City, or for my or any other neighborhood.
I, for one, refuse to believe Erie County residents lack the motivation to succeed. They do not want lives of poverty, crime and dead-end jobs. The problem is poor access to education and opportunity. The answer is a community college.
Across the nation, there are 1,200 thriving community colleges. They provide access to opportunity. They also help businesses grow by providing tailored and flexible training programs. The federal government is investing heavily in community colleges. I, and every other Erie County taxpayer, already pay for 14 other community colleges in Pennsylvania. Why can’t we have one here?
Thanks to Jane Earll and our state delegation, the County has nearly $2 million a year to support a community college. No other part of Pennsylvania has this resource. Thanks to the Erie Community Foundation another $1 million has been provided. No other area of Pennsylvania has that. Local companies are already giving money. Our largest employer, GE, wants a community college. The United Way wants a community college, the Chamber of Commerce wants a community college, labor wants a community college and the Benedictine Sisters want a community college. Why can’t we have one?
A community college can start small. Costs can be controlled. They can operate within available funding streams. On Tuesday, County Council should vote to give thousands of Erie County residents increased access to opportunity. On Tuesday, County Council should vote to help our workers and our businesses. On Tuesday, County Council should vote to sponsor a community college.
We’ve already built roads, runways, hockey rinks, ballparks and convention centers. Please, for once, invest in people by agreeing to sponsor our community college.
