NICEVILLE — If Northwest Florida State College’s proposed 2013-14 budget is approved later this summer, students will see no tuition increase.
Under the proposed $42.9 million operating budget, fees for tuition, student financial aid, student activities and technology will remain unchanged next fall. The capital improvement fee would increase by $30 per semester for full-time students.
If the 27 other colleges in Florida keep their fees intact next year, NWF State still will cost less than 17 of them.
“We don’t know what all the other schools are going to do, but chances are we’re going to be even lower when the dust clears,” NWF State President Ty Handy said. “It’s our goal to be as cheap as possible without sacrificing the quality of education.”
The college was able to prepare a budget with so few fee changes because of reductions in other areas, Handy said.
In addition cutting membership to national organizations over the last three years at a savings of about $30,000, the college has reduced its capital expenditures — which covers items such as technology and construction — by a couple hundred thousand dollars, limited the number of supplies purchased, eliminated new positions and reassigned duties when someone retired rather than filling the post, he said.
This year’s operating budget is $47.5 million.
“We’ve made a number of cuts,” Handy said. “They’re very specific. I don’t believe in across-the-board cuts.”
In the proposed budget, a 1.5 percent salary increase has been recommended for employees. Handy said it was lower than ideal but was a necessary cost-of-living adjustment.
Handy said since 2008, most employees have only seen an $11 per month pay increase.
The budget will go before the board of trustees in June for a vote. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
