1 Education Drive

Room F-3293 Garden City, New York 11530

BOT Approves Budget Balanced by Instructional Cuts and Tuition Increase

Last night the BOT voted to approve the NCC Budget for FY10/11. During the Finance Committee meeting, chaired by Brian Muellers, several Board members expressed their opposition to a proposed $160 tuition increase. Mr. Muellers made it clear that he would not vote for a budget that contained the increase and demanded that the Administration cut more money from the Instructional ranks.

While everyone agreed that the real problem is that the state and the county are not providing their fair share of funding (they are each supposed to provide a third of the funding and yet neither provides more than a quarter), Board Member Muellers clearly claimed that the Faculty were not carrying their share of the burden. Several adjustments were made that included an increase in the projections for enrollment increase from 1.5% to 2%, an increase in the use of fund balance, and an increase in projected savings from the nonreplacement of retiring faculty and staff.

The tuition increase from was reduced from $80/semester to $55/semester, two more temporary lines were cut, and an additional $80,000 was cut from reassignment on top of that which has already been cut. In addition, there will be a hiring freeze.