As a fellow educator at a Maryland community college, I want to express strong support for the unionized full-time faculty at Howard Community College as they negotiate their first contract.

Faculty play a critical role in student success. Yet at Howard Community College, the president claims she has given faculty 20% raises, a number that doesn’t reflect the reality for most. Meanwhile, she earns more than twice what faculty earn, despite the fact that it is faculty who are in the classrooms every day, building the foundation for student achievement.

In an era in which the cost of a college degree has skyrocketed and many are questioning the value of higher education, community colleges such as CCBC, where I work, and HCC stand as beacons of quality, affordable education for their communities.

In my 19 years teaching at CCBC, I have seen countless first-generation college students thrive, elevating themselves from my first semester writing class to majors in employable fields and/or transferring to universities to continue their studies without being weighed down by loan debt.

Community colleges are both economically important for community members seeking upward mobility and employers with emerging specialization needs. As an English instructor, I have taught U.S. Coast Guard shipyard students, county and state police academies, and electricians at McCormick’s via community college — public and private agency partnerships. We also teach high school students who are getting an early start, earning college credits. These types of interorganizational programs highlight the ways in which community colleges meet students where they are and are anchored in service to the public good.

But a college that does not value its faculty offers less value to its community. HCC has the resources, over $30 million in reserves and unused budget funds, to treat its faculty fairly. Investing in educators is investing in students.

Across the state, faculty at community colleges have unionized to ensure that community college budgets remain focused on the classroom. We didn’t get into this line of work to get rich, but we need colleges to use their public resources to help us keep apace with the cost of living.

Fair contracts help retain quality faculty who are expert both in their fields and in pedagogy. This ensures strong academic outcomes for community college students. I urge HCC to do the right thing and help to establish a cooperative relationship between HCC’s administration and the faculty who power the classroom. Finalizing the faculty contract will go a long way toward creating valuable cooperation as the new school year begins.

Jay Trucker is a professor of English at Community College of Baltimore County.