Montgomery College Trustees Vote to Support Maryland Dream Act

[Howard Hartman]

Montgomery College Trustees Vote
to Support Maryland Dream Act

In a meeting held Thursday night, the Montgomery College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to take a position in support of the ballot question on the Maryland Dream Act, a law that provides in-state tuition rates to undocumented college-aged students who meet certain requirements. The law has not yet taken effect because it was petitioned to referendum, and it will be placed on the November 2012 ballot.

The Maryland Dream Act is one more step in the College’s mission to provide all Montgomery County students with access to higher education. The vote by the Board of Trustees is consistent with the College’s long-standing practice to provide the lowest tuition rates to all recent Montgomery County Public Schools graduates.

The resolution approved at the meeting says: “…there are many reasons for support of the Dream Act, including that it benefits both the students and the community by providing a valuable, better educated workforce, encouraging not only high school graduation but enabling higher education training at a tuition cost that is affordable and otherwise, without this Act, out of reach for most of these students; it leverages the public investment already made in these students in the K-12 school system, and; it costs the taxpayers and the College very little and, in fact, the College may actually lose money if these students were not eligible for the lowest rate of tuition.”

“The Board of Trustees recognized the value of education, not only for an individual but for a community,” said Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard, president of Montgomery College. “The vote is monumental for Montgomery College."

For more information about the Montgomery College Board of Trustees, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/exploremc/BOT.html.

The board resolution approved at the Thursday night meeting is as follows:

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MONTGOMERY COLLEGE

Rockville, Maryland

Resolution Number: 12-06-063          Agenda Item Number: __4__

Adopted on: 6/28/2012         June 28, 2012

Subject: Support of the Policies of the Maryland Dream Act

WHEREAS, Montgomery College has long supported a policy of making all graduates of Montgomery County high schools eligible for local in-state tuition rates; and

WHEREAS, the College supports broader and easier access for all local students to higher education institutions than is provided by the Maryland Dream Act, the College nevertheless supports the Maryland Dream Act as a step in the right direction and as a foundation for additional access later; and

WHEREAS, the College and many respected community, government, religious, and advocacy groups leaders urged the passage and support the provisions of the Maryland Dream Act, now the subject of a referendum before the voters of Maryland in the upcoming general elections in November 2012; and

WHEREAS, there are many reasons for support of the Dream Act, including that it benefits both the students and the community by providing a valuable, better educated workforce, encouraging not only high school graduation but enabling higher education training at a tuition cost that is affordable and otherwise, without this Act, out of reach for most of these students; it leverages the public investment already made in these students in the K-12 school system, and; it costs the taxpayers and the College very little and, in fact, the College may actually lose money if these students were not eligible for the lowest rate of tuition; and

WHEREAS, the Dream Act will assist in meeting the need for trained workers for Montgomery County businesses and will support the county’s economy; and

WHEREAS, the College supports the Dream Act as being consistent with its mission and statutory mandate of providing access to valuable higher education to all qualified students at a reasonable cost; and

WHEREAS, the president of the College recommends that the following action be taken; now therefore be it

Resolved, That the Board of Trustees of Montgomery College supports the implementation of the policies that support the Maryland Dream Act and requests that citizens consider carefully these policies in their votes in the November 2012 referendum on the Dream Act; and be it further

Resolved, That the president of the College is authorized to take such actions as are necessary and appropriate on behalf of the College to communicate the substance of this resolution to the members of the public.