KENTUCKY — A key House committee advanced a measure Tuesday calling for an immediate $23 million infusion into Kentucky State University to shore up the struggling school's finances. 

House Bill 250 cleared the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee as several lawmakers spoke of the Frankfort-based school's importance while expressing frustration over its precarious finances.

Republican Rep. James Tipton, the bill’s lead sponsor, said indications are that without the extra assistance, the school “will not be financially solvent” sometime around late March.

"I think the Governor issued Executive Order and the Council for post secondary education to go into Kentucky State University and assist them. And I think it's been very beneficial to dig in and actually see what the financial situation is there today at Kentucky State to identify what the problems were and what we need to do. I think going forward Kentucky State University needs to rethink what their priority missions are, and focus on the things they are good and good at. I recently coined the phrase Kentucky State 2.0, I think this is an opportunity to take a hard look at itself, CPE with us in the legislature and others to identify what they can do to make this a great university going forward. Now in the meantime, there are some serious financial concerns that have to be addressed. And we're looking at options right out of how to bridge that gap or represent," adds Rep. Tipton.

"We have to have that $23 million to get us back to square one to build for the future. So I feel good. I mean, I feel good about this. I just want to let everybody know KSU is important to the state. It's important to Frankfort it's important to the nation. And there's a lot of strength there with the land grant, a lot of strength with the students and staff and this is about the students we're serving. So I don't want anyone to forget about that. If we don't do everything in our powers to help it to not only survive to thrive, I don't think we are doing our jobs as citizens," explains Dr. Aaron Thompson with Kentucky's Council for Postsecondary Education. 

According to National Student Clearinghouse, at the nation’s community colleges, enrollment was down 15% this fall compared to two years ago. 

President Joe Biden had included free community college in his sweeping Build Back Better Bill, but dropped it last fall to reduce the legislation’s cost. The bill remains bottled up in Congress.

During this In Focus Kentucky segment, reporter Rebuen Jones explores why community college enrollment is dropping.

Josh Waters, 21, spends a lot of time in the kitchen.

He’s pursuing a degree in baking and pastry arts at Asheville-Buncombe Community College in North Carolina. It’s his second degree.

“The pandemic taught a majority of us that you got one skill. What if that doesn’t pan out? What is the next thing you’re doing to go to on to,” Waters said.

It’s not a new concept.

When the economy tanks, like it did during the heights of the pandemic, people often enroll in college. But that didn’t happen in the pandemic as college hemorrhaged students.

Specifically, at the nation’s community colleges, enrollment was down 15% this fall compared to two years ago, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.

“What we have seen is for nontraditional students … where going to college isn’t the only thing they do … they have in certain cases pushed that out,” said Scott Ralls, who is the president of Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina.

Ralls said enrollment at Wake Tech is down, but not as steep as some places. Ralls said some working parents have had to stay home to provide child care. Another recent factor is that there are so many open jobs.

“As wages increase, lots of community college students being more part-time, a lot of times their enrollment at college becomes more part-time as well,” Ralls said

North Carolina Community College System President Thomas Stith III said they are finding ways to bring in new students, and he said they’ve also been able to keep tuition affordable.

“Our students in many cases do not have tuition and fees that they have to pay themselves, they can do that through scholarships and grants that are available,” Stith said.

Waters isn’t paying tuition for his second degree at A-B Tech because he is receiving one of the scholarships the school has financed with COVID-19 relief money.

It’s a step Waters believes could attract more students to the classroom and eventually what comes after.

You can watch the full In Focus segment above.