The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act includes more than $20 billion for higher education nationally.
That additional funding is important for Oregon community colleges, which have seen a roughly 23% decrease in enrollment since last year, according to state data.
Casey White-Zollman is with the Oregon Community College Association.
“It’s not going to be the silver bullet that fixes everything, but it’s certainly going to be helpful moving forward.”
The OCCA says it does not yet know exactly how much Oregon is getting, but this new federal relief package offers more assistance to higher education than the CARES Act last spring.
Community college officials say the extra funding will help to re-energize Oregon’s economy after the pandemic by hopefully encouraging more students into the state’s workforce.