Community College of Philadelphia’s unionized employees say the school needs $20M more in next year’s city budget

As their enrollment numbers recover from pandemic-era declines, unionized faculty and staff at the Community College of Philadelphia want the city government to kick in more money toward the college’s operations.

Members of the faculty and staff union, American Federation of Teachers Local 2026, say they want $20 million more for CCP operations because that’s how much CCP students take on in debt each year.

“There’s a general interest in trying to increase the public investment in the college so we’re not continually shifting that over to students,” union co-president Junior Brainard said.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, which starts in July, includes about $51 million for CCP operations, the same amount that was approved in last year’s budget.

However, Parker’s administration already pushed for an additional $10 million investment in CCP so the college could avoid increasing tuition, which City Council approved in April as part of a $165.6 million midyear budget transfer bill. Her proposed budget also included a new partnership between CCP and the School District of Philadelphia to train municipal workers — she’s called the program her “baby” in the budget.

CCP administration, in their budget testimony, said the college was able to avoid raising tuition last year and plans the same for the year ahead, thanks to the $10 million transfer approved in April. Enrollment is up after several years of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the college is looking to add two advisers and 20 full-time faculty before the fall semester.

The college is seeking an additional $500,000 on top of Parker’s proposal to expand a dual-enrollment program, which allows high school students to take college classes. But CCP is not opposing the union’s larger request.

“The college welcomes additional funding to help support our city’s students and workforce,” a CCP spokesperson said. “The federation is free to advocate in ways they see fit, and the administration will continue to negotiate at the table.”

Union leaders noted that when community colleges were first established by law in Pennsylvania, each school’s operating budget was meant to be funded by state government, local government, and student tuition in equal thirds. Philadelphia hasn’t kicked in one-third of CCP’s operating budget in some time, union leaders said, but $20 million more would push it over the edge of that threshold and then some.

City funds accounted for 27% of the college’s $129.6 million operating budget last year while student tuition was 42%, CCP’s own budget documents show. State funding provided 27.5%.

The union is making its budget request as it continues to negotiate a new contract with CCP. The current contract expires at the end of August.

“Over half of staff at CCP do not make a living wage, which means most staff — and many faculty — work second and third jobs to make ends meet, or leave the college for better jobs,” said Nate House, union co-chair for full-time faculty.

The union is seeking raises to match inflation, as well as transit support and child-care assistance for both employees and students, and smaller class sizes and caseloads. Students have become involved in the union’s contract negotiations, and also testified at the city’s budget hearings Wednesday.

“Some of our faculty members are teaching 210 students a week,” said union secretary Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela. With classes of that size, “you’re not going to get to know your students, you’re not going to be able to help them individually in the way they need.”

Brainard noted that the majority of CCP’s students qualify for Pell grants — which are income-based — and many are first-generation college students.

“We’re talking about being able to provide a college that more Philadelphians can access,” Brainard said.

CCP employees last negotiated a contract in 2019, and they appealed to City Council for additional CCP funding then, as well. That bargaining process was long and tense, with union members voting to authorize a strike several weeks before they ultimately ratified a deal. The three-year contract they reached in 2019 was extended by two years.