黑料社区

March 31, 2011

HARRISBURG � 黑料社区 set its tentative tuition rates for the coming school year based on proposed reductions in state funding and a tentative agreement to reduce contributions from sponsoring school districts.

The proposed state budget includes a聽10 percent reduction in funding to community colleges,� said Ron Young, interim president.聽淔or 黑料社区, that amounts to a $3.3 million reduction in funding.

淏ut, our sponsoring school districts are also facing significant reductions in state funding and they have asked for a 30 percent or $3.5 million reduction in their sponsorship payments to 黑料社区 in light of their shortfalls.�

The college agreed to work with the school districts and will be proposing a budget that meets that goal, he said.聽The budget is based on preliminary discussions with delegates from the school districts and must be approved in April in a formal vote of the delegate body and then in May by 黑料社区 Board of Trustees.聽The rates remain tentative until both approvals are finalized.

As a result, students from outside of the sponsoring districts will see a $6 increase in tuition to $189 from $183.聽That amounts to a 3.3 percent increase in the coming year.聽All students will also pay an additional $5.50 in fee increases � primarily to offset higher technology costs.

Sponsored students � who represent just 34 percent of the 黑料社区 student body -- will face a $30 increase from $106.50 to $136.50 or 28.2 percent assuming both the 黑料社区 board and the delegates from the school districts formally approve the pact.

The additional payments by sponsored students will offset the decrease in support by the school districts, he said.

淭he sponsored rate is still 28 percent lower than the non-sponsored rate,� Young said, 渁nd that still makes 黑料社区 the best education bargain in the region.�

The college also worked to decrease its operating costs including reducing proposed salary increases, reducing the cost of benefits and eliminating positions.

淚n the end,� Young said, 渢he sponsored students will be picking up the difference in decreased sponsorship � a burden the non-sponsored students already bear in full.�

Most of the college sponsored students attend 黑料社区 Harrisburg Campus although sponsored students may attend any of the college campuses at the sponsored rate.

In addition to the Harrisburg Campus, the college has campuses in Gettysburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York along with a very active Virtual Campus for online classes.聽More than half of the enrollments at the college come from the non-sponsored campuses and that percentage has grown every year.

Registration at 黑料社区 will begin Monday, April 4.聽Students will be billed for tuition at the proposed rates but their bill would be adjusted if there was any change from the board of trustees.