College Board Votes To Keep Heber Center Open

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   “It was for a reason of services,” Navajo County Community College District Governing Board member Dusty Parsons explained regarding the board’s decision Tuesday to keep the Northland Pioneer College center in Heber open.
   With the school facing significant budget cuts both this year and in the upcoming fiscal year, staff members had suggested that the school could save money by closing the center, which is expected to be in the red by an estimated $31,614. Board members, however, voted against closing the facility.
   Parsons explained that the Heber area contributes about $1.2 million in taxes to the college, and the board found that it was not appropriate to cut services to those taxpayers.
   Since the state began cutting funds to community colleges, NPC President Dr. Jeanne Swarthout has been trying to find ways to balance the budget without reducing services to students. A number of cost re-ducing measures are already in place, including limitations on training and travel for staff, turning down thermostats in buildings, and sending correspondence by e-mail to reduce the cost of postage and supplies like paper and printer ink.
   Swarthout previously noted that NPC staff members have been getting very creative in finding ways to reduce costs without affecting services to students. She explained that her goal is to continue on that track, but with deeper budget cuts expected, it’s unclear whether the college will be able to stay within its budget without reducing some services.
   Staff members have already begun working on the college’s 2009-10 fiscal year budget. In regard to that budget, the board also approved an increase in tuition and fees Tuesday.
   Beginning in the fall semester, tuition will increase by $4 per credit hour for in-state students, and $5 per credit hour for out-of-state students, bringing tuition to $52 per credit hour for residents and $85 per credit hour for non-residents.
   The school’s tuition break for students taking 3.5 to 7.5 credit hours in a semester will continue, al-though the existing break for more than 15 credit hours has been eliminated. Out of state students will pay $85 per credit hour for one to three hours, and $250 per credit hour for seven or more credit hours, up from the previous rate of $235.
   The school will continue to offer senior citizens age 60 and older a 50-percent discount on tuition, and the refund policy for dropped classes remains the same.
   Fees for certain classes will also increase, and all students enrolling in three or more credit hours per semester will be required to pay a $35 media fee. On average, fees for most classes will increase by about $10.
   NPC remains one of the least expensive colleges in the state, even with the tuition and fee increases. Most other community colleges in Arizona are also expected to raise their tuition rates for the fall 2009 semester.
   The next regular governing board meeting is scheduled at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21. It will follow a work session beginning at 9 a.m. in the Tiponi Community Center on the Holbrook Painted Desert Campus.