Proposed tuition hike rejected
Nathan Humphreys
The governing board for the Maricopa Community College District rejected the proposed tuition increases by a vote of 4-1 on March 24.The proposed tuition hike would have increased instate tuition by $5 a credit hour for residents and $27 a credit hour for nonresidents.
The board originally proposed the tuition increased to help the district cope with the $6.7 million in state budget cuts for the district as a part of the state’s mandate to balance its own budget.
“The board recognized the present economic landscape, and to ask for more money out of our students would be like drawing blood from a turnip,” board President Colleen Clark told the Arizona Republic.
At the beginning of the board meeting, a Phoenix College student who lives on a fixed income spoke out against the tuition hike, as did members from MCC’s student senate.
The MCC senate members presented the board with a recommendation that the board increase property taxes instead to help bridge the budget shortfall.
