Community College Fees May Increase
Columbia, CA — Tuition fees for community college students could increase as California lawmakers struggle to balance the budget.
The California Legislative Analyst Office is recommending that the individual unit fee be raised to $40. Currently students pay $26.
"We’re in a challenging time, resource wise, with community colleges," says Dr. Joan Smith, Columbia College President. "When there is a fee increase for the community colleges, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to get that money at the college level to provide extra services for our students."
If the fee increase is adopted, the state of California would raise an estimated $150 million in new revenue.
Smith says it would especially affect students that receive little or no financial aid and pay the costs of schooling out of pocket.
Written by bjhansen@mlode.com.
