Menino targeting community colleges

Convinced that community colleges are failing the city, the Menino administration is considering a range of measures to force them to change , including the possibility of having the state-funded institutions report to city officials.

A takeover would require approval from the Legislature, however, and municipal officials appear more focused on attaching conditions to future city funding that would require college administrators to demonstrate that they are making improvements in graduation rates and are better preparing students for the workforce.

Advisers to Mayor Thomas M. Menino plan a meeting next month with the presidents of Bunker Hill Community College and Roxbury Community College to discuss their unhappiness with the colleges' performance. Both schools graduate less than 10 percent of their students within three years of enrolling , and Menino contends that the schools fail to prepare young people for jobs in an increasingly high-tech world.

"They are failing our students and failing our businesses," Menino said last week at a breakfast with business officials.

"The two community colleges located in Boston graduate fewer than 15 percent of their full-time students -- the lowest rates in the state, " Menino said. "It is my sincere hope that the new governor will shake up that system, and I offer my help with the community colleges here in the city."

City officials are hoping to persuade college officials to expand curricular emphasis on life sciences and biotechnology. They also want to see more courses geared toward careers in financial services and the hospitality industry, which could help foster the city's tourism. City officials also want the schools to work more closely with the public education system to help better prepare high school students for college.

At Roxbury Community College, 5.8 percent of full-time students graduated within three years of enrolling , according to recent federal statistics. At Bunker Hill Community College, 8.6 percent graduated, numbers that were far below the 22.4 percent national average. Obtaining an associate's degree from a community college typically takes two years; students can also earn a certificate or credits to use at a four-year university.

The city allocates $210,000 for programs at Bunker Hill Community College and $100,000 for Roxbury Community College.

City officials say future appropriations may be tied to agreement for changes, such as improving graduation rates or adding degree programs.

"People have to collaborate," said Conny Doty , director of the Mayor's Office of Jobs and Community Services. "This is not going to happen overnight, but we need to start the conversation."

The city's partnerships with both schools primarily fund programs geared toward giving high school students a track into the community colleges after they receive their diplomas. City officials are hoping to expand those programs, as well as find ways to improve the graduation rates.

While a city takeover seems unlikely at this point, city officials have not ruled it out. There are 15 community college s run by the state, though another, Quincy College, is run by the city of Quincy. At the Community College of Philadelphia, the mayor appoints a governing board that oversees the college. In Chicago, the mayor appoints the board of trustees overseeing the seven City Colleges of Chicago.

Bunker Hill has about 8,200 students; Roxbury has about 2,400. Both draw a large number of students from the Boston public schools.

Menino could also push businesses to provide jobs and internships to students with adequate skills.

"We need targeted programs that closely track the needs of Boston's growing employers, because 55 percent of jobs in Boston require at least an associate's degree," Menino said. "If the colleges can demonstrate that they are ready to deliver real results, then I will identify partners to employ graduates. I am even willing to help fund these sector-specific programs."

Mary L. Fifield , president of Bunker Hill Community College, said she has not heard from the mayor on any plans that he envisions for the school, but said she would be open to discussions.

"If the mayor is thinking about additional kinds of partnerships, I can only speculate," she said. "It would not be a bad idea to replicate the kind of model we have now."

Currently, the city helps fund three programs at Bunker Hill. One puts high school students on a nursing track; the second provides extra prepping for math and science courses; and the third helps those with nursing degrees from other countries obtain certification in Massachusetts. The Roxbury Community College programs help bolster math and science curriculums for incoming students.

"Could things be looked at and be better in certain segments? Perhaps so," said Terrence A. Gomes , president of Roxbury Community College. "Can we look at that and work together? I'm open to having that dialogue."

Community college officials say that one of the major hurdles they face is teaching college students coursework they should have mastered in high school. At least two-thirds of students at Boston's community colleges have to take remedial courses, according to Eileen O'Connor , spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

"The graduation rate numbers need significant improvement, and we know that," O'Connor said. "But there also needs to be a recognition that part of the problem -- and the solution -- is in K-12 education."

Menino's new focus on the two schools in Boston is occurring as state officials are reevaluating the community college system. A task force is expected to produce a report within weeks.

"It's good to see the mayor speak out on the issue," said John Schneider , vice president of MassINC , a public policy think tank . "It's important for the mayor to speak out and to challenge the state higher ed bureaucracy to say: This is a problem that we need to deal with. My hope is that the board has heard that message."

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.