SCCC trustees propose $200 tuition increase

Suffolk County Community College's 24,000 students would face a $200 increase in annual tuition starting next fall under a proposed $189.4- million budget trustees approved Thursday.

The proposed spending package also seeks a 4 percent increase - or $1.5 million extra - from Suffolk County, even though County Executive Steve Levy had earlier directed the college not to budget for any county increase.

Presiding Officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) called the chances of the college getting extra county money "slim to none. We've just got no money."

The college's proposed budget will be submitted Friday to County Executive Steve Levy who will then present it to the county legislature later this spring. Under an agreement giving the college more autonomy over its budget, Levy and county lawmakers can only alter its contribution to the college, which this year totaled $38.7 million. They must finalize action on the budget before school opens in September.

College officials say the two-year school, where enrollment grew a record 10 percent this year, needs additional help because Gov. David A. Paterson has already proposed $5.6 million in cuts to state aid. While state lawmakers have discussed restoring aid, nothing final has been resolved. The college is also projecting a 2 percent growth in enrollment in the next school year.

Nancy Steir, the college's finance vice president, said about $8 million of the increase is for mandated expenses like salary and benefits. She added there are only three new initiatives - $340,000 for an emergency medical technician program for which the college is seeking accreditation; $200,000 for three new college counselors; and about $150,000 to staff the new eastern campus library building which had its groundbreaking in Riverhead after the meeting and is due to open next year.

The trustees also tabled for a second time a resolution to give college executive vice president George Gatta a raise and a one-year contract extension.

Jeff Kluewer, head of the college's governance council, said the trustees may have inadvertently created "two presidents" by having Gatta, who until recently served as interim president, report directly to the board rather than to new college president Shaun McKay.

Ellen Schuler Mauk, faculty union president, also asked the trustees defer on any pay raise for Gatta since the college is asking for concessions in mid-contract.

"We'd...like to see the exempt [administrators] lead by example," she said.