MHCC to decide what to do for Oregon Promise

Approved by Oregon state legislators in 2015, the Oregon Promise is a grant program that aims to help offset the costs of tuition at any of the state’s community colleges.

In order to be eligible for the grant, students require a 2.5 GPA in addition to a GED or a high school diploma earned within the past 6 months (so if you’re reading this now, you are not currently eligible). For students who receive Pell grants and other financial aid, you can receive up to $1,000; for students who don’t qualify for federal or state aid, the program covers your tuition.

This has been excellent news for the roughly 7,000 students attending community colleges in Oregon this school year through the Promise, which began functioning in 2016, including 602 freshman students who attend Mt Hood.

But there’s growing uncertainty as to the program’s future, according to state lawmakers who must resolve a major state budget gap – nearly $2 billion for the 2017-19 budget cycle – as they meet in Salem this winter and spring. As noted by The Oregonian, the Promise “could be one of many casualties of Oregon’s $1.8 billion revenue shortfall.”

What would the fallout look like for students currently enrolled through the Oregon Promise?

“Well, we won’t know until after students have registered for (Spring term),” said MHCC President Debbie Derr. It likely will take the legislators months more to agree on a revised budget, and whether to continue funding the Promise, and at what level.

“We will have to work with students and we have not made an institutional decision about what we would do” should the Promise be discontinued, Derr said. Her hope is that Mt. Hood can step in to assist first-year students, perhaps using funds raised by the MHCC Foundation, so that they can continue studies, she said.

“We’re fortunate in that we have the Foundation and it would not be our expectation that students then miraculously have to come up with tuition,” she said.

When Senate Bill 81 was approved in 2015, the Oregon Legislature stipulated $10 million a year to fund the Promise. While Gov. Kate Brown’s budget proposal has set that same amount, $20 million for the next biennium, many education advocates believe the number should be higher. According to the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper, “state education officials now believe that the program will leverage around $14 million in federal tuition aid this school year.”

Derr said she believes the Promise funding “should be at $40 million” for 2017-19.

Critics of SB 81 point to the fact that the Oregon Promise primarily benefits students who are not eligible for financial aid, and as such, can theoretically afford tuition without relying at all on state dollars.

Still, one of the positive “byproducts” of the Promise is a large reduction in student borrowing for college costs, “which is happening for 7,000 people across the state,” said John Hamblin, executive dean of student development for MHCC.

Hamblin is an excellent resource for students who may have questions about Oregon Promise. Legislative advocacy is another option for concerned students. Students are encouraged to contact the authors of the bill, state Rep. Mark Johnson (R-Hood River) and Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton), as well as Rep. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale), an MHCC instructor.

Ultimately, however, “We’re assuming that everything’s going to be fine, [though] we’ve got some work to do at the Legislature,” said Derr.