Has asked for increases in tuition and awaits state reply

By LOHR McKINSTRY

ELIZABETHTOWN -- North Country Community College wants $45,000 more from each sponsoring county for its tentative 2008-09 budget.

Essex and Franklin counties now pay $2.19 million each, and that would go up 2 percent to $2.28 million in the preliminary budget released Monday.

The new budget totals $12.77 million, a 2.66-percent increase from the current $12.43 million.

NCCC Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Finch told the Essex County Board of Supervisors' Finance Committee that a final budget is still being worked out.

"We're hoping to bring a budget to the (college) Board of Trustees at their June meeting."

Vice President of Fiscal Operations William Chapin said the college wants to increase tuition but hasn't gotten the OK yet from the State University of New York, which oversees community colleges.

The college wants to raise tuition $150 a year for in-state students and $280 for out-of-state students. It's at $3,340 in-state and $8,400 out-of-state now.

The college is projecting a 2.7-percent revenue increase, with expenses up 2.4 percent, Chapin said.

"We've held the line on expenses where we have control. We're trying to maintain our budget and be as frugal as we can."

Salaries will hold the line, he said, but benefit costs will increase for health insurance and retirement. Health insurance is up 9.2 percent, he said.

The college is getting an extra $50,000 from the NCCC Foundation to support operations, he said.

But that will be offset by the $50,000 the college is paying to search for a new president. President Dr. Gail Rogers Rice is retiring soon.

Chargebacks, part of the tuition that sponsoring counties must pay when their residents attend community colleges other than NCCC, are also projected to increase, from $682,000 to $697,000.