Central Oregon Community College will no longer receive $3 million in federal funding for the construction of a new health and education building at its Madras campus.
The funding was cut from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a bill carried by Republican lawmakers last month.
In a recent press release, COCC President Laurie Chesley called it “not just a loss for the college, but a loss for the residents of Madras and all of Jefferson County who deserve equitable access to education and training opportunities.”
The project broke ground last summer, after raising more than 97% of the estimated $18 million needed for completion. But in recent weeks that budget gap exploded more than fivefold.
College officials said COCC will dip into its reserve fund to complete the project on time, by January 2026. The planned 24,000-square-foot building is an expansion of the current campus and would allow students to complete certain health and early education degrees and certificates at the Madras campus.
Currently students who wish to earn an associate degree in nursing or early childhood education must commute an hour away to attend class on the Bend campus, said Zak Boone, a representative with the college.
COCC is still receiving about $150,000 in federal funding for the project, he said. The college learned March 14 that an additional $3M in funds were zeroed out.
The HHS money was earmarked to pay for the construction of the building that would house the health careers. But in the GOP-backed 2025 funding bill, a significant portion of the HHS budget was cut.
To make up for the funding loss, Boone said, the college will use its reserve funds while continuing to raise money. The school will look to private and local funders like foundations or corporations, he said.
Copyright 2025 OPB
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