Tuition increase already causing changes
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

While $10 might not seem like a lot of money to many, it could be the difference between continuing to pursue higher education or feeding a young family, according to Wharton County Junior College President Betty McCrohan.

The college president made that observation during an interview concerning the impact a proposed $10 per semester hour tuition increase would have on student enrollment.

The tuition increase is being considered to offset the loss of some $1.8 million in local funding with Gov. Rick Perry's line item veto of health insurance funding for qualifying community college employees.

"(The increase) could mean the difference between buying milk for the baby or going to classes," McCrohan said. "We're already seeing a decline in the number of student hours ... students are taking fewer hours because of work or family demands."

The cost of covering the insurance locally also means there is less money to overcome other challenges WCJC has in attracting and retaining students.

"A lot of our students come from backgrounds of families that don't historically go to college or don't have as strong an academic background. They need more student support services ... to prepare them for a college curriculum. Having to shift our funding to operational expenses means we have to cut those program that support those students."

McCrohan said that because rural community college districts are so small, the state's demand to add more students becomes increasingly out-of-touch.

"It is a real challenge for rural schools to provide some of these services because they don't have the tax base," she said. "I think the bureaucrats in Austin forget that when they demand we add more students that it also means we need to fund more student services and more facilities."

McCrohan added that any enrollment declines could also impact curriculum. When classes get too small, it forces changes.

"Cost wise it can become and issue," she said.