CCC hikes tuition 14 percent

Feb 25, 2010 — The Arizona Daily Sun

Hillary Davis

Feb. 25, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Coconino Community College announced Wednesday that it is raising tuition next year by $10 per credit hour, or about 14 percent.

College officials said the hike was a necessary response to state funding cuts and the college district's relatively low property tax rate.

The college district went to the voters in November 2006 for a tax override, but was turned down.

Next year, the cost per credit hour will climb from $75 to $85, making CCC's tuition the highest among Arizona community colleges. That equates to $30 more for the typical course, and at least $120 more per semester for a full-time student.

As of November, CCC's revenue sources broke down to about 41 percent property taxes, 37 percent tuition and fees, 16 percent state aid, and the balance from grants, renting out facilities, and other smaller outlets.

State aid was 45 percent of the college's budget in 2001 and 23 percent in 2007.

Coconino's governing board recently approved the new tuition rate. CCC did not raise tuition for this year, but did raise it the year prior ($5 per credit hour in tuition, plus an across-the-board $5 per credit hour in a mandatory "technology fee.") "Coconino County has the lowest property tax allocation for community colleges in the state. Coupled with state cuts of nearly 25 percent, we had nowhere to go but to the students," college president Leah Bornstein stated in a press release. "Through our sustainable financial plan we have cut nearly $1.5 million from our budget in response to state cuts over the past two years, and we plan to keep reducing. But there comes a point where the quality of the education we provide will suffer without generating more revenue."

CCC's property tax revenues are a distant last among the state's 10 community college districts -- less than one-third of the state average.

The state average property tax contribution for all community colleges is $112 per $100,000 of a home's assessed value. CCC receives about $33 per $100,000 in assessed value, or about $100 per median-valued home in Flagstaff.

Like its neighbor Northern Arizona University, CCC is looking at higher tuition combined with shrinking state aid and significant growth in enrollment. Spring 2010 enrollment figures have not yet been calculated, but college officials expect another increase, especially in full-time students. Fall 2009 saw CCC's headcount increase more than 25 percent, or about 1,000 students.

Even with the tuition increase, though, CCC remains considerably less expensive. A full-time CCC student (assuming 12 credit hours per semester, or 24 per year) will spend about $2,000 next year on tuition, less than one-third the cost of NAU's proposed in-state freshman tuition.

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