Pima Community College isn’t interested, at least for now, in offering four-year degrees. “We feel that our lane is firmly in associates’ degrees and career and technical education certificates,’’ said spokeswoman Libby Howell.

 A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star 2015

PHOENIX — Arizona’s community colleges appear on the verge of being able to offer four-year degrees.

On a 24-6 vote Wednesday, the state Senate gave final approval to legislation setting out conditions for these traditional two-year and certificate institutions to start offering baccalaureate degrees. The House already approved it.

An aide to Gov. Doug Ducey said he does not comment in advance on whether he will sign pending legislation.

Ducey is likely to face a last-ditch effort by the Arizona Board of Regents to get him to veto the bill.

For at least 40 years, the board has fought any effort to infringe on what it sees as its turf as the governing body of the state’s three universities.

Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, said the regents tried to quash this bill, even after proponents included much of what the universities wanted to limit when and how upper-division courses can be offered.

In a prepared response, Sarah Harper, spokeswoman for the regents, said the board “appreciates the important role community colleges play in Arizona’s higher education system.’’ And she said the board is “committed to working together to increase educational attainment in Arizona.’’

But Harper did not address questions about why the board opposed the legislation and whether it will seek a gubernatorial veto.

Boyer said he remains concerned that even if the bill becomes law the universities will attempt to stymie new course offerings at community colleges. But while the measure does give an opportunity for university input into community college plans, he said it does not give them veto power.

Pima Community College in Tucson isn’t interested in offering four-year degrees at this point, a spokeswoman said.

Access for students

Central to the multidecade dispute has been the question of physical and fiscal accessibility of higher education.

Rep. Becky Nutt, R-Clifton, has argued for years that the current system requires rural students who want four-year degrees to leave their homes. That not only affects families but also undermines efforts to promote local economic development, she said.

Many community colleges already have buildings and other infrastructure in place that would allow them to start offering four-year degrees without new investment and without raising local taxes, Nutt said.

The regents, by contrast, have countered there is no real need.

Larry Penley, chairman of the board, has argued that the universities already have working relationships with community colleges around the state, partnering in ways to offer four-year degrees. And he has told lawmakers there is reduced tuition for university courses that are taught on community college campuses.

Those objections hit home with some lawmakers.

Sen. Rosanna Gabaldon, D-Green Valley, said she sees this as duplicating existing efforts by universities to help community college students get four-year degrees. And that makes no sense financially, she said.

Competing for funding?

“Arizona’s already underfunding our public education,’’ Gabaldon said. “I believe this bill will make our community colleges and public universities compete for that same funding.”

Sen. David Livingston, R-Peoria, said he fears that offering upper-division courses will come with a price tag, whether higher local property taxes or from the state general fund.

“It would be shocking if they don’t ask for more money,’’ he said of community colleges.

But Livingston said he agreed to support the plan for a simple reason.

“It expands school choice,’’ he said. “It expands competition in the education setting, which is very important to me.’’

Sen. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, said while she fears “cannibalizing limited resources,’’ she still believes that allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees is “a worthy goal.’’

Multiple steps would be required

Assuming Ducey signs the measure, it will not provide carte blanche for the schools to start offering bachelor’s degrees.

It first requires a district governing board to determine if there is a local workforce need for the degrees that would be offered. There also would need to be a study of the costs and whether a similar degree is offered by other Arizona colleges.

There also are specific restrictions on new programs offered in Pima and Maricopa counties, with community colleges limited to offering no more than 5% of their degrees at the baccalaureate level for the first four years and, after that, capped at 10%. They also cannot charge tuition for those courses for juniors and seniors that is 150% higher than the fees for courses in the first two years.

And before new degrees could be offered, public universities also would be given a chance to provide a written response to any planned community college degrees.

All of that, Boyer said, was added to address concerns by the regents. But he said t was the absence of veto power over new community college degrees that led to university opposition.

Costs to students

Typical tuition at state universities runs north of $9,000 a year and up to more than $12,000.

By contrast, Pima Community College charges a base rate $1,305 for 15 credit hours, the typical load for one semester, though some programs do have surcharges. Doubling that for an annual cost and using the 150% cap in the legislation, that still comes out at less than $4,000 a year.

At Maricopa Community Colleges there is a flat rate of $1,020 per semester, putting the cap at slightly more than $3,000 annually.

PCC won’t make the change

Not all community colleges are interested, at least not now, in offering four-year degrees.

“We feel that our lane is firmly in associates’ degrees and career and technical education certificates,’’ said Libby Howell, spokeswoman for Pima Community College. “That’s not the case with some of our rural college colleagues who do have real problems,’’ she continued, explaining that’s why PCC neither supported nor opposed the measure.

“That doesn’t mean that might not change with some future chancellor, some future governing board,’’ Howell said. “But right now that’s not Pima’s intent.’’

The universities have managed to forestall competition now for decades.

In 1983, for example, William Reilly, then chairman of the Board of Regents, beat back a similar bill amid warnings to lawmakers of unknown implications. Among those, he said, was whether Arizona students would be able to get a job with a degree from a community college.

And Gary Munsinger, who was then a vice president at the University of Arizona, argued that allowing community colleges to expand their programs could hurt what he called an effective and efficient post-secondary education system in Arizona.

Former Arizona Daily Star reporter Doug Kreutz enjoyed sharing the outdoors with readers before his retirement. Here are some of his saguaro videos.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.