D.C. residents suffer for the lack of a community college separate from the all-in-one institutional approach of the University of the District of Columbia, according to a report released by the Greater Washington Research arm of the Brookings Institution.

“It’s the only major city in the country without one,” said George Boggs, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Community Colleges. “If there’s one place that needs a community college, it’s D.C.”

About one-third of the city’s nearly 700,000 jobs “are accessible to workers with some postsecondary training or a two-year degree,” the report said. But without a functioning community college, there is a lack of access for the about 111,000 adult residents with no college credits.

As a result, the report said “only about a third of those who work in the District live here, hurting the city’s tax base and fiscal health since it cannot tax the income of non-residents.”

This story continues below
Advertisement

The authors of the report have partnered with nonprofit D.C. Appleseed to determine the specific costs involved in creating a separate institution.

“The City Council has been very supportive,” said co-author Martha Ross. “This has stimulated the discussion.”