Witnesses warn Finish Line and PACT expansions are at risk after governor’s midterm proposal

HARTFORD — Students and higher-education advocates told the Appropriations Higher Education Committee that planned midterm budget changes would undercut the Finish Line Scholars program and the Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) tuition-assistance expansion, making bachelor's completion harder for community college transfer students.

Kate Jackson, a student at WestConn, said the passage of recent bills expanded PACT into new campuses and that “it proposes a 50% cut to the Pledge to Advance Connecticut tuition assistance program” in House Bill 5032. Ramkin Grant and union witnesses described figures they said were central to the dispute: last year’s legislative appropriation to launch the Finish Line program was reported as $7.7 million; speakers warned the governor’s midterm proposal would reduce available funding to roughly $3 million, leaving many eligible students without support.

“Fully funding this program is a step in that direction,” Ramkin Grant said, urging restoration and expansion of the program so community college students can finish bachelor’s degrees without being locked out by cost barriers. Louise Williams of the CSU faculty union warned that the current appropriation could cover only about one-quarter of eligible students and that the midterm cut would reduce coverage further.

University and community-college officials, student government leaders and faculty unions urged the committee to prioritize Finish Line funding and to consider student-support investments that improve advising, reduce course bottlenecks and convert part-time instructional roles into stable full-time positions — measures they said are necessary to make PACT expansions meaningful.

The committee heard no formal budget vote during the hearing. Legislators will consider testimony and budget adjustments as part of the midterm appropriations process.