We are very glad the proposed bill in the Mississippi House of Representatives, HB 1284, that would have required the consolidation of the Coahoma Community College district into the Mississippi Delta Community College district died in the House Universities and Colleges Committee.
The bill proposed CCC would operate as the “Coahoma campus” of Mississippi Delta Community College and with the central administrative offices to be located in Clarksdale.
We appreciate District 26 State Rep. Otha Williams, a 26-year CCC employee and the Work Based Learning Coordinator/Instructor for Staff, Career and Technical Education, for voicing his opposition against the bill.
Clarksdale and Coahoma County is not the only community the bill would have hurt.
The proposed bill called for the consolidation of the Southwest Mississippi Community College district into the Copiah-Lincoln Community College district, with the SMCC campus to operate as the “Summit campus” of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and with the administrative offices to be located in Wesson.
The bill further proposed the consolidation of the Meridian Community College district into the East Mississippi Community College district, with Meridian operating as the “Meridian campus” of East Mississippi Community College and with the central administrative offices to be located in Scooba.
There were so many problems with this bill.
One, CCC is one of the most important institutions in our community. It provides many jobs and opportunities for students at all academic levels. With more Coahoma County residents working for CCC, more dollars will remain in our community. CCC provides representation to the African American community as a longstanding Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
Two, having CCC standing on its own provides opportunities to students who would otherwise have trouble affording a college education. Some high school students in Coahoma County have taken courses at CCC. That gives them a head start on higher education while they are still in high school. Those opportunities may still be there if CCC consolidated with Mississippi Delta, but there is no reason to change the structure of a school when its programs, such as the one we mentioned, are already working.
Three, with CCC being so important to the community, decisions about the school should be made in Coahoma County. People who are invested in CCC are more likely to make decisions that benefit the school.
We commend legislators and residents from other communities who also took a stand against HB 1284.
Rep. Trey Lamar from Senatobia proposed HB 1284.
Lamar told Magnolia Tribune that “at a time where the community college system is asking the taxpayers of Mississippi to fund tens of millions in new investment into the system, the savings realized from administrative consolidation at our smaller schools could be immediately rolled into the 12 remaining community colleges for significant staff and faculty pay raises.”
Lamar proposed the bill without talking to people in Coahoma County or other communities about how the changes would impact them directly.
Education is expensive, but we feel investing in CCC will lead to more dollars coming back into our community and the state of Mississippi.
We also feel investing in education will help more students reach their potential. When a student reaches his or her potential, the services he or she provides will improve the quality of life in many communities.
We should not look at education as an expense. Investing in CCC will allow us to receive so much more in return.
CCC is a vital part of our community’s success. We thank everyone in the state legislature who helped make sure CCC will be an important part of our community for decades to come.
