“The goal was to reach out and lift up those students most impacted by the pandemic,” David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System, told the Appropriations and Education committees. “We’ve done that. Our enrollment is up 12%.” That translates to 16,791 students, up from 15,004 the previous year, according to the college system. Of those, 5,574 students are eligible for the free college program because they graduated from high school in 2020, 2021 or 2022. Daigler’s testimony came as the Legislature’s budget-writing committee is considering Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed $10.3 billion, two-year budget.
