Suffolk withholds $1.6M from NYC college

Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki yesterday withheld a $1.6 million payment to Fashion Institute of Technology for 322 Suffolk students seeking bachelor's or graduate degrees from the school.

It is the first time a local government has halted payment to the Manhattan school since a State Supreme Court justice ruled in a Nassau case last year that local governments were not required to pay for local students seeking more than a two-year associate degree at an outside community college.

"It's time to bring it to a head and fight it out," Sawicki said after sending out the reduced payment to FIT. While withholding $1.6 million, Suffolk did pay $1.94 million for the 403 first and second-year Suffolk students attending FIT.

The payment issue arose because under one section of state law, FIT is classified as a community college. Counties are subject to chargebacks for their students who attend a community college outside their county.

But FIT also is authorized to offer both four-year and graduate degrees. FIT maintains that allows it to charge counties for their students who want its specialized education. FIT's $10,720 annual chargeback for an out-of-county student is more than three times that of the other 29 state community colleges.

FIT spokeswoman Cheri Fein said Thursday that the school's designation "as a community college had been reaffirmed many times . . . and cannot be disregarded by any other entity." She said the school only just learned of Suffolk's action and could not say how it will respond. "FIT will explore all options . . . to protect our students and their right to attend the SUNY college of their choice," Fein said.

Sawicki was responding to a legislative directive, passed last fall in the wake of the court ruling, to stop payment for local students seeking more than a two-year degree. Legis. Thomas Cilmi (R-Bay Shore) said the measure will save the county $3 million annually. "I fully expect FIT to come after us," said Cilmi, the resolution's sponsor. "But I'm absolutely sure we are within our legal rights."