BMCC waits to hear from Pell for Prisons
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON –Blue Mountain Community College will no longer be teaching adult basic education in state prisons beginning July 1. BMCC President Mark Browning said the Oregon Department of Corrections has standardized the among colleges will receive, and the resulting shortfall was one BMCC felt it could not handle.
“Our institution just is not in the position to absorb $600,000-some-odd dollars, Browning said. “We just don’t have that. We need to be doing things that help us grow and to continue to help stabilize our financial situation.”
That doesn’t mean the college is giving up on inmate education. Browning said that prisons can utilize other systems in Oregon for the basics. He’s hoping that the college is successful in obtaining a Pell for Prisons grant that would enable the college to offer education for credit.
“We feel it’s an opportunity because it is for-credit education,” he said. “We’re looking to position the institution into areas of growth. It’s not without some pain, but it is the right decision, and the board is supporting that.”
Pell grants go into effect July 1. The college is waiting to see if its application is successful.
