American River College Student Fees Rising

A new California budget means price hikes for students at and at community colleges around the state.

The 2011–12 budget to close a near $10 billion gap between revenues and expenses that lawmakers passed and signed June 30 increases community college student fees from $26 to $36 per unit statewide this fall.

For one ARC student, this is not the end of the world.  

“My parents can afford to pay my fees,” said Samantha Lee, 17, who begins classes there at the end of this month. “So the increase doesn’t bother me.”

Other ARC students see the issue of education costs differently.

“It’s difficult to plan my education with student fees rising as they are,” said Shaine Johnson, 22, an economics and public policy major at ARC. “When you’re just out of high school, working part-time at just over minimum wage, it’s pretty tough to continue to afford your education.”

Johnson is serving a one-year term as an elected student trustee for the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, having run on a platform of student access.

“Having spoken to many of the students I represent,” Johnson said, “I know my experience isn’t at all unique.”

According to Nancianne Pfister, an adjunct speech professor at ARC, some students will take fewer or no units as a result of increased fees.

“That’s what my students tell me in class,” Pfister said.

Furthermore, the timing of a student fee increase is big, said Susie Williams, associate vice chancellor for communications and research with the Los Rios district, which includes ARC, Consumnes, Sacramento City and Folsom Lake colleges.

“In the past, the Legislature has increased fees very late, often after students had already enrolled and paid their fees and this has proven extremely difficult for students and their families,” Williams said.

Students and their families who fail to qualify for financial aid are especially at-risk, she said.

“About 65 percent of our students district-wide qualify for the fee waiver from the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges,” Williams said. “But the 35 percent who don’t qualify for this fee waiver are hurt the most.”

Board fee waivers cover the cost of community college student fees only, but do not pay for other costs like stationery and textbooks.

Paige Marlatt Dorr is the communications director for the California
Community Colleges. Brown’s 2011-12 state budget cut $400 million from California’s community colleges, she said. The Fall 2011 student fee increase from $26 to $36 per unit will raise an estimated $110 million to offset the $400 million spending cut.

However, state officials will review state tax revenue on Dec. 15 for the period from July 1. Based on how actual tax revenues for that period compare with what lawmakers projected for the 2011-12
budget, fees for community college student could rise from $36 to $46 per unit, Dorr said.

This is a provision called a “trigger.” In this way, insufficient tax revenues for current spending would propel an increase in fees to address the budgetary shortfall.

The health of the economy is a key factor.

“The success of the newly-adopted State budget will depend on continued economic expansion throughout the year,” State Controller John Chiang said in a July 11 news release.

Given the weak recovery from recession in California, it is unclear if the economy can expand enough to generate sufficient state tax
revenue to avoid another round of price hikes in fees for community college students.