At the March 24 Governing Board meeting for Maricopa Community Colleges, a motion for approval of the $4 tuition increase was proposed. The final vote was three to two against the increase.

Board members Ed Contreras, Scott Crowley, and Nancy Stein voted against it while president Linda Rosenthal and secretary Donald Campbell voted for the increase.

Contreras then motioned for a vote on a $2 increase in tuition. He said, “It appears that in the last several years, there has been a propensity to place all of the burden on the students. I looked over the historical trend for the last 10 years, considering our year to be number 10. A doubling in the last three years in tuition increased. We will have increased, with tonight’s appropriation, if we pass it, 72 percent in the last 10 years. I think that’s too high.”

The result on that motion was a vote of four to one against, with Contreras as only board member in support. After no decision could be reached, the board decided that the tuition increase would be placed on the agenda for the April 27 board meeting.

Rosenthal said, “Having sat through staff meetings, having really taken a good look at the budget, I firmly believe we have no choice but to raise tuition $4 a credit hour. Our employees are entitled to enumeration, to a raise once in a while. So we are talking about a few dollars, a cost of a CD or a Big Mac. What is your education worth, is the question I ask students.”

Crowley, the most recently appointed board member, was against the increase saying, “I wasn’t here last year for the $5 increase, I wasn’t here for the year before that for the $3. I wasn’t here several years ago when the plan was put into action. I have asked Dr. Glasper to put a committee together to figure out a different opportunity to develop another resource or look at other resources that are available in the system. Do not put the burden on our students when we tell them education is so important.”

Chris Chesrown, Media Relations Manager, explained that the Maricopa Community Colleges are funded at about $1,000 per FTSE (Full Time Student Equivalent) and yet the state has not funded the Maricopa Community Colleges for growth (increase in FTSE) for the past three years. Chesrown said, “Additionally, for two of those years, our funding was also cut from previous levels.”

Maricopa Community Colleges are funded as follows: 58.74 percent from property taxes, 21.47 percent from tuition, 12.02 percent from state aid, and 7.76 percent from other sources such as out of state fees and interest.

During the meeting, Chancellor Rufus Glasper said, “Our growth last year went up from 8.2 percent in terms of overall student enrollment. But I ask that when you consider this recommendation, that you think of the long-term effect of what we are dealing with now after 2 1/2 years of reductions going into a third year, possibly, a fourth year with some reductions from our state that they have not fully funded our growth.”

Nancy Stein, also against the increase said, “My concern is that by asking for all three this year (bond, 2 percent property tax increase, and tuition increase), we are going to the well, too many times.”

Thomas Gerloff, Associated Student Government public relations representative who spoke at the meeting, commented later, “I feel that we are being forced as students to pay the debt of others; that the board is pushing to say that we are to benefit from this tuition increase. More than half of the money is going to salary increases for employees, amongst other benefits. I would like to encourage all to attend the next board meeting and also to stop by the ASG offices for more information on where your money is going.”