How New York’s Community College Governance Bill could affect your local community college

Community colleges have long been pivotal in providing accessible and affordable education and recent legislation is aiming to recognize the efforts of faculty and staff who have helped shape these institutions.

Assembly Bill A6782A, also known as the Bronson Bill, introduced by Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (D-N.Y.) would allow a faculty member to serve on a community college’s board of trustees.


On the surface, this initiative sounds like a step in the right direction for community colleges. However, New York Community College Trustees chair George Cushman is worried with this bill’s passing that several unforeseen consequences could have a negative effect on faculty and also the college.



"Adding a faculty member to the board can put that faculty member in a difficult position with their colleagues,” explains Cushman. “All other board members have no personal interest, so when difficult decisions are discussed, we are able to look at it from a distance and without prejudice. This is especially challenging in executive sessions when only certain issues can be discussed, such as the union contract, employee disciplinary issues or the President's performance. We value faculty input through the shared governance process, but this level of oversight is unprecedented."


Implications for community colleges

According to NYCCT, the trustees representing all 30 community colleges, along with institutional presidents, stand united in opposing the Bronson Bill due to several key concerns. 


  • Reduced Student Representation: Students already have elected representatives and adding faculty and staff members to the Board could shift the balance of power, giving employees disproportionate influence over decisions that directly impact students. 


  • Ethical and Professional Risks: If faculty or staff members are elected to the Board, they may face difficult ethical dilemmas and professional risks. Their dual role as employees and board members could lead to conflicts of interest, putting them in a challenging position when making governance decisions. 


  • Threat to the Community College Mission: Community colleges exist to serve students, families and local communities — not any specific group, such as faculty or staff. The current governance structure reflects this commitment. Adding a union member as an ex-officio trustee could shift this focus and potentially harm a system that has successfully served students for over 60 years. 


  • Potential for Institutional Disruption: Allowing an employee to serve on the Board without oversight from financial supporters (such as the state, county sponsors or tuition-paying students) could lead to discord at the leadership level. This may result in negative press and harm both the institution’s reputation and the larger SUNY system. 


  • Lack of Precedent and Legal Conflict: There is no precedent for employees serving on governing boards that oversee their own employment conditions. In fact, New York State Education Law (Section 2103[4]) explicitly prohibits public K-12 school employees from serving on their own Board of Education. 


  • Governance and Policy Conflicts: The bill introduces significant governance challenges, particularly in areas like contract negotiations, personnel decisions and fiscal management. Faculty and staff already play an essential role in shared governance, but this legislation risks disrupting the balance between board governance and shared governance, weakening institutional leadership. 


Understanding Assembly Bill A6782A


Assembly Bill A6782A seeks to amend Section 6306 of the Education Law to allow for the election of a union faculty or staff representative to the board of trustees of community colleges. This individual would be elected by their peers — either faculty or staff — and serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member. According to the bill, the intent behind this amendment is to ensure that the perspectives of those directly involved in the day-to-day educational processes are considered in the decision-making at the trustee level. 


Some critics express concerns about potential conflicts of interest. They worry that faculty or staff members might prioritize their own interests or those of their colleagues over the broader goals of the institution.


“We have a student trustee already,” says Cushman. “We don't understand the need for faculty or staff to carry the student's voice. As a matter of fact, we're concerned that it will actually work the opposite way and stifle the students' voice because that's their authority figure.”


Assembly Bill A6782A is mirrored by Senate Bill S6342A, sponsored by State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-N.Y.). This parallel bill underscores a coordinated effort within the New York State Legislature to address the governance of community colleges. The alignment between the Assembly and Senate versions indicates a shared recognition of the support of faculty and staff involvement in institutional decision-making.


For these reasons, trustees and institutional leaders strongly oppose the Bronson Bill, believing it could negatively impact students, governance and the long-term success of community colleges in New York. Engaging with these resources provides an opportunity to understand the nuances of the proposed legislation and its potential impact on the future of community college governance in the state.


For more detailed information on Assembly Bill A6782A and its current status, visit the New York State Senate's official page at https://nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/A6782/amendment/A/. 

New York's Community Colleges need funding more than ever

Community colleges play a massive role in shaping the local workforce, strengthening local economies and providing opportunities for students who might not otherwise have access to higher education.


But according to the New York Community College Trustees, for the past 20 years, the state has been under funding for these institutions, leaving students and colleges struggling to make ends meet.


“We haven't gotten an increase really from the state since about 1992,” explained George Cushman, New York Community College Trustees chair. “At that point, they decided that the state wouldn't give us any more money, that the students had to pick up all the difference.”


The New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT) is a voluntary, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of community college trustees in New York. It represents the appointed board members who oversee the 30 community colleges within the State University of New York (SUNY) system.


Based on the important role community colleges play in New York, what are solutions to this funding issue and what is currently being proposed?

The Funding Crisis in New York: What’s at Stake?

New York’s community colleges serve nearly half of State University of New York’s undergraduate students, many of whom are low-income and from underrepresented backgrounds.


Despite their critical role in the state’s education system, these colleges have been historically underfunded compared to their four-year counterparts, according to State Higher Education Finance. Currently, community college students pay some of the highest tuition rates in the country, while four-year students in the SUNY system enjoy some of the lowest, according to Education Data Initiative.


“We don't get any increase from the state to help offset increasing costs. The problem is then, we have to either increase tuition or decrease services,” Cushman said. “As a result, we've got a ratio of students to faculty and staff of about 15:1, contrasting that against the SUNY state operated campuses, which are the four-year campuses, where it's 4:1.”


Retention rates are also a concern. According to Cushman, 80% of community college students who leave school do so for non-academic reasons, making funding for student success programs even more critical.


This year, New York community colleges are asking the state for $100 million in additional funding to help address these inequities. Here is a look at where that money would go in three key areas:


Stabilizing Faculty and Staff ($30 million):

  • Right now, community colleges are struggling to keep up with contractual salary and benefit increases for faculty and staff. Without additional state support, colleges are forced to either increase tuition or cut services — neither of which are good for students.


  • Community colleges have a significantly higher student-to-faculty ratio than SUNY four-year campuses despite serving a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged and underrepresented students. More funding would help balance those numbers and provide students with more quality education.


Supporting Student Success Services ($10 million):

  • It’s not just academics that keep students in school. Unexpected expenses, mental health challenges and lack of support can cause students to drop out. In fact, 80% of community college students who leave school do so for non-academic reasons.


  • While the state has allocated $3 million for mental health services across all 30 community colleges, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $27 million allocated for SUNY four-year campuses. More funding for student success programs means higher retention rates and better outcomes for students.


Investing in High-Need, High-Cost Programs ($60 million):

  • Some of the most in-demand programs — like nursing, STEM and advanced manufacturing — are also the most expensive to run. This need is broken down by $30M to reduce financial losses for said programs and $30M to put back into the programs for expansion.


  • “The way the tuition and the state tax dollars are currently allocated, these programs lose money,” explains Cushman. “The colleges can't make it up in volume because they lose between $20-$25,000 per student per degree. So without additional operating support, we're going to have more losses. What we're trying to do is fix our base and then expand it.”


  • Advocates are pushing to secure this funding before the state’s budget is finalized in early April, especially given the need for nursing and advanced manufacturing. Even Gov. Kathy Hochul is speaking about it for the first time in years. If you support these budget advocacy efforts, you can reach out to local representatives and spread the word.

Why are community colleges important?

According to SUNY, in the 2022-23 fiscal year, SUNY Community Colleges contributed $16.9 billion to New York’s economy, representing about 0.9% of the state's total gross state product (GSP). This economic impact translated into support for 171,444 jobs, meaning that the activities of these colleges and their students accounted for one in every 78 jobs across the state.


In the 2022-23 fiscal year, SUNY Community Colleges employed 22,049 faculty and staff, with a payroll of $1.4 billion largely spent within the state on everyday expenses. Additionally, the colleges invested $627.2 million in facilities, supplies, and professional services. Altogether, their operations contributed a net impact of $1.5 billion to New York’s economy.


Each year, SUNY Community Colleges invest in capital projects to maintain facilities, expand capacity and meet growing educational needs, boosting spending and job creation. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, this construction investment added $28.5 million to New York’s economy.


In the 2022-23 fiscal year, out-of-state and retained in-state students at SUNY Community Colleges contributed $217.2 million to New York’s economy through spending on housing, food, and other living expenses.



SUNY Community College graduates bring valuable skills to New York’s workforce, with hundreds of thousands currently employed statewide. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, their impact added $15.1 billion to the state’s economy.