North Carolina’s community colleges could save about $5 million a year by folding administration and back-office work at the smallest campuses into larger neighbors, according to a legislative efficiency report released this week.

But campus leaders are balking at the proposal, saying $5 million a year in savings is small compared to the disruptions the mergers would cause.

“If the recommendation to consolidate colleges is implemented, it would devastate our rural communities,” said Mary Kirk, president of the N.C. Association of Community College Presidents. “It is all they have. Our rural citizens would no longer have access to the same level of affordable education and training.”

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