A comment from local bond analyst Steve Willson under this article about the decision-making process of the McHenry County College Board might be of interest:
Steve Willson speaking to the MCC Board.
Health club dead. Check.Clinic dead. Check.
Thank you Tom Wilbeck.
Thank you Chris Jenner.
Thank you Ron Parrish.
Thank you Molly Walsh.
A major victory for common sense over empire building.
One last item: the $29.5 million, 75,500 square foot classroom addition. (That would be $390 per square foot!)
As I said at the last meeting of the MCC board, if the data supported an addition, I’d be in favor of it.
But the data do NOT support building a big, expensive addition.
Enrollment data do not support a big classroom addition.
Enrollment is growing more slowly than the college projected.
Declining elementary school enrollment indicates MCC enrollment is likely to decline in future years. (Several local elementary school districts have been closing schools because enrollment is down so much.) Census Bureau projections indicate enrollment is likely to decline in future years.
Declining average class size data do not support a big classroom addition.
Average class size is down 20%.
Increasing average class size would take care of any increases in enrollment should that occur.
Low utilization of existing space does not support a big classroom addition.
Existing space is used less than 50% of the average school day.
Just using the existing space more intensively would take care of any increases in enrollment should that occur.
Job projections from the Illinois Department of Employment Security do not support a big addition.
Health sciences job projections equal current MCC graduation numbers.
So, when the board finally kills this last item, I will be dancing.
But even then the job will not be done.
When the empire builders and tax raisers are ousted by the voters in 2015 and 2017, THEN the job will be done.
The above paints a bleak picture as far as the future of this area. Just add a couple more sentences to complete the thought
“we should spend the money on a nursing home”
and
“the last person to die please turn off the lights.”
It sounds like a great argument in favor of immigration.
I do not understand that statement, Name Less.
I like it here in McHenry County, and it’s not dying. It’s simply not growing like it did back in the 80s and 90s. How is recognizing that and avoiding massively wasteful projects a bad thing?
Just commenting on the closing of elementary schools.
Certainly with the information presented here I would not support MCC expansion.
It seems that a construction contractor somewhere would be the only one in favor of it.
I surely pay way too much in property taxes, and am not eager to increase that amount.
Steve,
I agree with you upon the addition of a fitness center and medical clinic.
Community Colleges are not a business and really shouldn’t support a business with tax payer money.
I am on the boarder with the building addition.
The building is for health sciences area.
These are programs that are good for entry into the health care industry.
An industry that will continue to grow over time.
These potential students can cross community, county, and state lines to find jobs.
I believe your position regarding the availability of jobs is skewed.
My wife is a Physical Therapist.
We always get calls at home from job companies for openings in the McHenry, Boone, Walworth, Lake, and Cook county areas.
It is common for 2 to 3 phone calls a week.
I have watched this whole thing at MCC and I ask them what the job openings are for the OTA/PTA (MCC type programs).
The head hunters always ask me for names/phone numbers.
Normally they quote an hourly wage between $16.00 to $30.00 (full time) plus $3,000 to $5,000 sign on bonus.
These jobs are not at hospitals, but include nursing homes, schools, home health therapy and other locations not in a hospital.
Based on my personal experience I do not accept the numbers you have quoted from a specific IL agency.
I do agree with you that MCC needs to evaluate their space.
I have walked the halls at MCC during GardenFest and sate in the actual classrooms to listen to presenters.
Your “empty rooms” can be used for science labs, nursing labs, and such.
These are a different type of room and require infrastructure.
So I agree they need to see what they can do to change rooms, but then figure out what they really NEED.
Finally, I have looked at the board report and packet by PowerWellnees.
This board needs to have an internal study about how to remodel current labs and build internally via remodeling.
With a portion about any availability to build UP and not OUT.
Seems to me everyone wants to build out, but there is nothing about putting new rooms on a NEW UPPER FLOOR.
Brent
The cost per square foot should be on the ballot of all capital building referendums.
Remember referendums only include the principal amount.
There’s the cost per square foot without bond financing costs.
And the cost per square foot with bond financing/interest costs.
There’s a lot of people making a lot of money from financing public sector capital projects.
Buildings, roads, bridges, parks, stadiums, TIF districts, etc.
Brent, I appreciate your viewpoint, so let’s examine the data.
Not every health care job is for a community college graduate.
Some require more education, and some less.
So I examined the projections from the Illinois Department of Employment Security — the same source the administration used.
You can find the same tables I used on the IDES web site.
I went through every health sciences category and matched them to programs being promoted at MCC.
The total came out to around 114 jobs per year over the next ten years.
Worse, most of the jobs were for RNs.
Now, if your wife is in the medical field, she knows that it’s getting harder and harder to get a job as an RN without a four-year degree.
And most RNs start at a four-year school, not at a community college.
So, realistically, MCC should produce less than 100 new graduates per year in health sciences.
And that’s just about how many they produce now.
Second, even if health sciences enrollment were to increase, we know that overall enrollment is highly likely to decline.
Why?
Because 75% of MCCs students are traditional age students, and that age cohort is decreasing.
Witness the closing of area elementary schools.
Witness the fact that the number of third graders in McHenry County — MCC’s freshmen in ten years — is 18% lower than the number of high school seniors.
Could the difference be made up by nontraditional age students?
Unlikely.
That age group will also decline and, to date, there is no clear trend of rapidly increasing enrollment.
Worse, MCC’s administration made no case for this being the source of new students.
So the total is likely to go down even if one program goes up.
Next, please note that MCC uses its existing classroom space less than 50% of the average school day.
That’s their data, not mine.
So we know they have plenty of excess capacity.
And average class size has dropped from 22 to 17 in just the last five years.
Simply increasing average class size to the level of five years would create room for 29% more students.
Finally, the addition would increase classroom space by 70%.
That’s an awful lot to build on speculation.
So, do we spend $29 million now, or do we wait and see if the need is real?
I suggest we wait.