Nevada budget cuts to hit vital community college training programs - Ray Hagar, RGJ

“The two rural colleges are the colleges that got hit the hardest,” said university Chancellor Dan Klaich of the new funding formula. The cuts to Western Nevada College, in particular, could not come at a worse time. The western region of Nevada’s rural counties, where the recession has hit the hardest, appears to be on the verge of an economic comeback. At the same time, Western Nevada, the institution that will train workers for the new rural economy, is in a downward spiral. Less money means fewer classes can be offered. Fewer classes mean fewer students. Fewer students mean lost opportunities for Nevada’s young adults. “We really need to expand (training), not contract right now,” said Rob Hooper, the executive director of the Northern Nevada Development Agency. “Even staying flat is not a good thing.” http://www.rgj.com/article/20130528/NEWS11/305280034/Budget-cuts-hit-vital-training-programs?nclick_check=1