TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College students could pay 3 percent more in tuition next year under budget recommendations before the board of trustees.
NMC President Tim Nelson presented his final budget recommendations to the board at a study session Monday. The nearly $41.4 million budget includes a 3 percent in-district tuition hike, a 4 percent tuition increase for out-of-district students and elimination of more than two dozen staff positions.
The NMC board will vote on the budget at its June 25 meeting. It starts at 5 p.m.
"I'm comfortable with that, especially when you look at the dollar figure," Nelson said of the proposed tuition hikes. "When you compare a 3 percent increase with the universities, there really is no comparison."
In-district students would pay $2.50 more per contact hour, or $84.60. Out-of-district students would pay an additional $6.50 per contact hour, or $165.90, and out-of-state students would pay $8.20 more, or $212.45 per contact hour.
NMC faced a projected budget deficit of $818,000 if no changes were made to tuition rates, salaries or staffing levels for the next fiscal year. The final recommendations include the tuition hikes, a salary increase based on existing benchmarks — an average of 2.8 percent, but raises will vary considerably depending on the job — and the elimination of 27 positions.
The 27 eliminated positions are made up of those vacated by retirements or attrition, and some new positions requested by departments that were not approved.
Nearly 41 percent of the 27 positions are in administrative offices, with nearly 26 percent in instructional positions and 22 percent in instructional support.
Nelson said it's the first staff reduction of that scale since he was hired in 2001.
"We started with a deficit when we began building the budget like everybody, and personnel is a big chunk of what we do," he said. "I appreciate what the campus did in determining how to get the job done without adding people."
At Monday's study session, board Chairman Bob Brick asked if the reductions would place any stress on existing college operations. Vicki Cook, NMC's interim vice president of finance and administration, said NMC will be able to maintain the existing level of service through restructuring, staff training and technology.
"When planning and budget (council) reviewed the positions we looked at restructuring in order to offer a sustainable model," she said. "So we're hoping with efficiencies that we've established that we'll be able to maintain that level going forward."
Staffing levels, particularly adjunct positions, fluctuate annually depending on student enrollment. NMC broke enrollment records every semester between fall 2008, as the recession began to take hold, and summer 2011. But numbers dropped that fall when the economy began to improve. Officials predict enrollment will remain flat for fall 2012, with approximately 5,095 students enrolled.
The proposal projects $157,788 in revenues over expenses for the next fiscal year, but a lot depends on what happens in Lansing as lawmakers continue to debate changes to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System.
A bill in the state House would reduce NMC's costs toward employees' retirement by $500,000 in fiscal year 2013, and another $650,000 the following year. But Nelson said they budgeted for next year based on a worst-case scenario that sees no savings from either bill.
"If either bill passes, that would show up in the budget as additional money to the bottom line. Then we could talk about possibly hiring an employee we decided not to fund," Nelson said.
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Tim Nelson
NMC tuition could be rising
Budget recommendation is for increase of 3 percent
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