Clark College tuition will go up for the first time in five years in light of the recently approved state budget, the community college announced this week.
For students who live in Washington and bordering Oregon counties, tuition will increase by 2.2 percent to cover a 2 percent raise for classified college employees and a 2.3 percent raise for faculty, spokesman Chato Hazelbaker said.
For a student taking a full load of lower-division classes — 15 credits — that means tuition will increase from $1,341.10 per quarter to $1,370.60. Non-resident students will pay the same dollar amount increase, not a percentage. So a full-time non-resident student’s tuition will increase from $1,812.05 to $1,841.55.
Last week’s tuition hike will affect all four-year schools and community and technical colleges, including Washington State University Vancouver. The Legislature froze tuition in 2013 and reduced it at four-year colleges between 15 and 20 percent in 2015. Community Colleges, meanwhile, got a 5 percent tuition cut. Clark College, and colleges across the state, saw steep tuition increases for several years prior to the freeze and cuts.
“Basically what the Legislature got together and did is said, ‘We want to give a 2 percent salary increase for all state employees,'” Hazelbaker said. “They were trying to make that commitment, but they didn’t have the money to cover what that would have been total.”
This year’s state-mandated tuition increase, however, will not raise the college’s tuition to the levels seen before the cut, Hazelbaker said.
An additional $50 million in the State Need Grant financial aid program will cover the tuition increases for eligible students.
Capital budget outstanding
Despite last week’s 11th hour budget deal, which narrowly prevented a state shutdown, legislators are continuing to work on the capital budget funding construction projects. Republicans have said they won’t approve a budget without legislation overturning the Supreme Court’s Hirst decision, which limits the use of new domestic wells in rural areas if it harms senior water rights.
The Legislature has said if it can’t come to a deal by July 20, it will revisit the capital budget next session.
In limbo, therefore, is $5.2 million in predesign and design dollars for the first building at Clark College’s campus at Boschma Farms in Ridgefield.
The college recently completed planning of the site.
“To still be waiting, it pushes everything,” Hazelbaker said. “Our local legislators have been really supportive but we’d like to get a decision made.”
Ridgefield City Manager Steve Stuart, however, said he was confident the Legislature will adopt a capital budget before its self-imposed deadline.
Stuart called the project a catalyst for future development in the growing city.
“Clark College at Boschma Farms is a catalyst project for the city of Ridgefield and all of north county,” he said. “The simple reason for that is not only does it provide education opportunities for all of north Clark County and south Cowlitz County, but it also provides job training and potential partnership with local industry.”
Wire reports contributed to this article.
