A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So is taxpayer money. And so is momentum, which Maine’s community colleges have generated since their makeover from the old vocational school system. Since their creation in 2003, community college enrollment has exploded, prompting officials to invoke the dreaded government F-word: funding.

Twenty million dollars, to be precise. This is the recommendation from the Governor’s Community College Advisory Council, which released its findings Thursday. The panel also suggested an additional bond issue, reportedly $30 million, though community college administrators maintain the final figure has yet to be calculated.

Pondering the expense of $50 million, for Maine taxpayers, is bound to be a bitter pill. Too often, millions have evaporated into catastrophes (Medicaid computing) or grandiose policy initiatives (Dirigo Health) where the taxpayer benefit has been sullied by the exorbitant costs of the program.

Like investors, taxpayers insist their dollars are spent on entities with impressive track records and potential for future growth. Judged on these terms, the community college system should be considered a safe investment.

As one of the last states to develop a community college system, Maine spent decades in the educational dark ages. With lower-than-average personal incomes, and pitiful post-secondary educational enrollment statistics, Maine’s demographics begged for an affordable collegiate option.

Now community colleges are a hit. In the report, the governor’s council described enrollment with the famous “Field of Dreams” whisper: “If you build it, they will come.” A more accurate statement is: “We built it far too late.”

Enrollment in degree programs has spiked 42 percent to nearly 11,000 students, while original estimates had the system enrollment topping 10,000 in 2010. In 2005, more than 1,800 Maine students enrolled after high school, a 50 percent increase over the previous year.

John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Community College System, said the funding would “put (the system) over the top.” The $20 million, he said, would allow for 4,000 additional students, while the bond would fund capital improvements and system expansion.

Most important, he said, the funding would avoid a tuition hike, and keep Maine’s community college at an affordable $2,800 annually. Fitzsimmons is correct, as the success of Maine’s community colleges is dependent on affordability; the worst thing the system could do is price itself out of its market.

The market for graduates is strong. The council found 96 percent of graduates entering the workforce find jobs in Maine. One employer and council member, Bruce Hisdale of Auburn, said he could hire three more machinists at his company – Mountain Machine Works – at a better-than-average salary if trained people came to his door.

Every employee in his shop, he claims, graduated from a Maine community college, and he wants more.

He should get them, since if taxpayer dollars should go anywhere, they should fund what puts people to work. They should also fund what’s working for the people. So far, Maine’s community colleges seem to be doing just that.