Big Bend students may see higher costs

MOSES LAKE - Students at Big Bend Community College are likely to see tuition rise by 12 percent next year.

The increase follows a state budget which reduced funding to the state community and technical college system by $76.8 million during the next fiscal year and $84.3 million in fiscal year 2013, according to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

The state gave the community and technical college board the authority to increase tuition by 12 percent each year for the next two years, said Charlie Earl, the board's executive director. The board is likely to increase tuition by the full amount when it meets next week.

"It will return about half the amount that we were cut," he said. "This is definitely the range that we had been discussing with the Legislature. The cut level is slightly higher. The tuition levels are higher ... We understand the fiscal problems the state was facing. We were treated with respect for our students by the governor and the Legislature."

If the board enacts all of the tuition hikes, students attending the fall, winter and spring quarters will pay $3,500 in 2012 and $3,900 in 2013, Earl said. The cuts and tuition hikes come as the community and technical colleges are seeing a tremendous student demand.

"They have really quite successfully served a lot of those students," he said. "(The colleges have) cut all the classes and instructors that were at all marginal. We know over the next two years we're going to be down a substantial number of students."

Big Bend Community College President Bill Bonaudi said administrators projected they loose about $5 million from the college's budget starting two years ago, and the projection is holding steady.

"What we're starting to see is a very long waiting list of students that are waiting for classes," he said. "What the long term impact of that will be is hard to predict."

Students taking general education classes and professional technical programs are being affected by the waiting lists, Bonaudi said. The waits follow the college not filling more than 16 positions during the past two years.

"That's a pretty substantial number. That's allowed us to avoid layoffs, but it means we can't fill those positions that we're losing. We could very well be forced to reduce the size of our nursing program. It may be more difficult for running start students to find classes to take," he said. "What we anticipate is the students are going to face fewer choices for classes. They're going to pay 12 percent more in tuition and, conceivably, it could take them longer to complete their degree."

Bonaudi said it's likely to take years to rebuild what the college has lost so far, saying increased appropriations are usually incremental and aren't expected to be large.

"It takes a while to build up a staff and to make sure when you offer a faculty position that you have funding that is going to continue rather than hire a staff member for a year," he said. "It's not likely that they're going to turn around and give us $5 million back when the economy gets better."

Earl recommended students go early to register and get their class schedules as early as possible.

"The colleges will do everything they can to continue serving the students," he said. "New students will also be accommodated. For people wishing to enter one of our colleges they need to get started now."